My Kawaii Mangaka
by Takkie
Summary: An Au story. AsamixTakaba. Takaba happens to be a budding Mangaka who gets hired by the company Asami runs, but there's more then meet the eye here.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't know own Finder Series nor do I ever wish to. It belongs to Ayano-sensei. **

**Hello all of my readers, here is the new story that I promised everyone. Its an AU story, its my first time writing something like this and I'm not certain that it is that good, but I do hope that you'll let me know if there is anything that is spelled wrong or you don't like about it and I'll be more then happy to change it. **

**I do hope you enjoy the story.**

Takaba stood there smiling proudly as he showed the letter he had received to Takato, who was frowning slightly as he read over the note.

"I don't know Aki…" His friend started as he set the letter back on the desk. Takaba was pleased because he had just received an acceptation letter from a publishing company that agreed to possible publish his work if they could get a chance to see more of it.

"You were the one who told me to go for it and see what happened and look what happened?" Takaba chirped happily as he picked up the letter again and read over it.

It wasn't exactly Takaba's dream to become a mangaka, but he did it because his father had specifically asked him not to go into the same job class as him, a criminal photographer. So instead Takaba decided to become a mangaka because then at least he could make his own reality up in his story and it was a rather difficult challenge that made him excited.

"I did, but this seems a bit suspicious to me, you're really good and all, but such a large company accepting you when you haven't even started? Not touching the fact that I'm pretty certain I've heard this guy's name someplace else. I think that you should probably wait for another offer to come your way."

"It'll be fine." Takaba assured his friend as he folder the letter and put in his pocket. "If anything does seem suspicious or wrong about it just have to leave, trust me for once that everything will go well." Takato frowned at his friend's words.

"Perfect words coming from my best friend who's always drawn to trouble." Takato mumbled as he focused back on working.

"I maybe drawn to trouble, but honestly, there isn't that much trouble I can get myself into when it comes to getting a job at an publishing company, besides you've done so much to help me I think its about time I do something for myself." Takato just rolled his eyes and continued typing on his computer. Takato had helped Takaba because of the fact that he was an editor, so while he didn't know very much about being an actually mangaka, he knew a lot about how to get a good story going and because of that Takaba was able to come up with what he did for the manga, not to mention the help of the handsome stranger who was unaware of what he did for the boy.

"Fine, go tomorrow then, but promise me that if even one thing is off you'll decline the offer right away."

"No problem!" Takaba assured his friend with a large smile, which did nothing whatsoever to assure his friend that everything was going to be okay.

Takaba sat straight in the chair, hands on legs beret tilted slightly on head as he waited patiently for the person he was going to be having the interview with.

Takaba was more nervous then he had expected to be, so to distract himself from what was going on at hand he begun looking around the room and everything.

The office wasn't bad sized, not only did it have a computer, but two different kinds of faxes and printers plus a phone rested on the desk next to it, a filing cabinet was in the corner near the desk, and besides the window on the right side of the room there wasn't anything else in the room.

Takaba's attention perked when he heard voices and footsteps approaching the room. After a few seconds the door was opened by a man in a suit with short black hair and glasses, stepping back the man bowed as another walked past him and entered the room. The moment Takaba laid his eyes on this man he immediately drawn into him. Once the man was inside the door was closed behind him

The man wore a cold expression his face as golden eyes examined the boy, a cigarette hung from his mouth and he was dressed in a very expensive suite. This man was surrounded by an aura that not only spoke of power and grace but also of danger. He steps were taken with elegance, dignity, and pride.

"You must be Takaba Akihito, is that correct?" His voice was smooth yet rough but not hard on the ears. Takaba just nodded his head as the man sat down at this desk. "My name is Asami Ryuuichi. I was the one who called you here for the interview after looking at your work." Asami explained as he set down the folder that held the manga that Takaba had worked. Asami acted as though he was looking down at the what was in front of him, but really he was checking the other, though he hadn't know that it was who the other was he knew who Takaba was, though it was just a very brief meeting for them, he was surprised at the fact that the boy didn't seem to recognize him. A small smirk graced his features as he looked at the beaming Takaba before; Asami was making a better catch then he had first expected.

"I worked really hard to make it something enjoyable to read." Takaba replied as Asami's business expression returned.

"The story is enjoyable, though there are a few touch-ups that could be made there isn't anything major to complain." Each word seemed to draw the wannabe mangaka in more. "I'd like you to work here, but I was wondering if I could read more of the story before I make a decision." Asami wouldn't lie about the fact that Takaba had some talent, in fact the boy was one of the better ones he had seen in while. Asami wanted to hire the other right away, but he figured that it was better to play it safe and make it seem as though he need some persuading even though he had more then enough of a reason to hire the other.

"I don't have any more on me right now, but if you don't mind waiting I can bring some more in tomorrow." Takaba replied, if he thought that the other had more time then he would've gotten the rest of what he had done.

"Kirishima." Asami called as he began putting the work back into the folder. Almost immediately the man with black hair and glasses entered the room.

"You called sir?" He asked pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"What is my schedule for tomorrow?" Asami asked as he light up a cigarette, Takaba would've more then likely made a comment about this had he not been distracted looking at Kirishima who was eyeing him suspiciously.

"You're busy for most of the day, but you do have an open spot at six." Kirishima replied as he looked over his boss's schedule as the other seemed to ponder about this.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm good with coming back whenever, I just need to know the time of the appointment." Takaba assured the other who glanced at him as he exhaled the smoke from his mouth.

"Then six tomorrow it is." Asami told the boy who was still looking more pleased then ever.

"Thank you so very much!" Takaba exclaimed as he bowed to the other who watched him slightly amused. The boy had a lot of spunk and that was a very good thing.

Once Takaba was out of the building he wanted to do nothing more then shout in joy, but he knew that that would cause him to get more stares then he'd feel comfortable. Takaba though couldn't really believe the fact that he was actually getting some where with the silly hobby that he had taken up. Not wishing to keep all the information to himself he quickly called up Kou knowing that Takato was still probably deeply immersed in work and he didn't want to end up bothering the other.

Once he received the information Kou was just as enthusiastic as his friend, Because out of the three he was the only who didn't have a steady job that he could rely on, but now all of that was going to change and if Takaba did a good job he was going to be making more then both of his friends.

Kou insisted that even though Takato was still busy that they should find some way to drag him away from work so that they could get a few drinks together. Takaba didn't object to this but he left getting Takato out of work to Kou, because the other seemed to be much better at this job.

"Damn Aki you're so lucky." Kou grinned as he and Takaba bumped fists.

"Lets just hope that everything works out for you." Takato commented.

"Come on guys, you know that its only because of you two that I've even managed to make this far." Takaba said smiling at his two friends who he put his arms over.

"You should give yourself some credit for once, you're the one with the talent after all." Takato said ruffling his friend's head as they entered Takato's house.

Takaba might've enjoyed goofing off and drinking with his friends, but he was still responsible enough to know that there was still work he had left to with the manga he was working on. Seeing as Asami wanted to see more of it Takaba had to make sure everything was in order for the other. So Takaba made sure not to drink so much that he'd be disabled, just enough to give him a bit of a buzz, which was safe for him because it was only about a twenty minute walk for Takato's house to his.

About halfway there Takaba stopped when he heard voices coming from an alley, his curiosity getting the best of him he carefully moved near the entrance of the alley while trying to make as little noise as possible. Peering into the alley could make out at least three figures but his vision was too fuzzy to be able to see them clearly, though he could make out that one of them appeared to be a very muscular man with blond hair.

"And this would be about it?"

"Yes, that it is correct, it was hard enough to get a hold of it as it was."

"If it wasn't hard to get then there would be no reason for me to pay you for it." both voices stopped when there was the sound of a crunch right outside of the alley. The burly blond guard that'd been standing still immediately pulled his gun out and shot in the direction the sound came from. Heading towards the entrance he found that there was no one there.

Takaba cursed mentally as he ran as fast as he could, that bullet had whizzed mere inches past his face, any closer and he'd have been hit. Taking the steps two at a time he quickly unlocked the door to house and entered it before slamming it quickly and locking it. Resting his back against it he took his time catching his breath. Once he felt sufficiently recovered he got onto the task of getting everything ready the next day after deciding that it would be best not to let his friends know what happened.

The next evening Takaba had everything in order after having Takato make sure that all looked good. This time though Asami was in his office when Takaba entered it.

As soon as the boy entered the room he looked up from the document that he had been reading, closing it Asami handed it to Kirishima who walked over to the filing cabinet in the corner, putting it in the middle draw he then locked with a key, before leaving the office with a bow and closing the door behind himself. Asami didn't miss how Takaba watched what had happened very carefully. Takaba's attention was brought back to the other man quickly when he remembered what he was doing.

"I brought what you asked for." Takaba said as he sat down before setting the envelope down in front of Asami who grabbed it and begun pulling the pages out.

There was silence for about a full ten minutes Asami scanned through the pages.

"You're hired." Asami stated as he put the papers down on the desk, Takaba's eyes widened when he heard these words. "I like the story, though there are a few things I'd like for you to fix about them which we'll talk about over time." Takaba seemed too surprised to speak so Asami continued. "I would like thirty pages a week if possible, I'd like for what you have here to be done a little more neatly before we publish it. Is that okay with you?" it took Takaba few seconds to process the question.

'That's perfectly, I'll be more then happy to that." Takaba replied as Asami handed him back over the envelope.

"I'd like to meet again with you tomorrow so we can over some of the issues I've noticed and so we can get closer to getting you published."

"No problem, I don't mind meeting you again." Takaba replied as he stood up when Asami did.

Takaba was overjoyed that he had finally managed to find someone that was willing to publish his work and on top of that the person really seemed to like what he had drawn up. Takaba was getting ready to leave when he remembered that he hadn't asked Asami when they were to meet the next day.

Tapping on the office door Takaba waited a few seconds for a reply but when it didn't seem like anyone was going to enter, he opened the door to the office to find that it was empty, stepping inside he stopped in front of the desk when he saw a piece of paper with what appeared to be the time and place of a meeting. Checking behind himself Takaba quickly pocketed the piece of paper before leaving the office.

Just after Takaba had left the office he bumped into somebody or something that caused him to fall back.

"What the hell?" he snapped as he looked up only to freeze when he saw what appeared to be the burly blond man from the alley. He quickly hid his shook as the man looked at him with narrowed.

"What are you doing here brat? This isn't a place for someone like you be snooping around" what the blond man said caused the hair on the back of Takaba's neck to prickle.

"I wasn't snooping around you bastard!" Takaba retorted, "I happen to be here because I was just hired so fuck off." Takaba fumed as he stepped around the guard who watched him carefully.

Kirishima tapped lightly on the office door.

"You may enter." Asami's voice said from inside the room. Kirishima entered the room with a bow. "Well?" he asked as the other straightened up.

"He took it." Kirishima replied causing Asami to smirk as he exhaled the smoke from his mouth.

"I guess that just means we have to wait and see what happens tonight then." Asami replied as he stared down at the picture of Takaba that was in front of him. Everything was perfectly planned after the boy entered his office, Asami could immediately tell that the other was one who couldn't resist danger and danger just happened to be what Asami was all about.

Takaba felt as though he was making a very big risk in what he was doing. He didn't tell either Takato or Kou where he was going just that he had something he needed to do. He pulled the baseball cap further over his face so that it wasn't easily seen as he crouched down near the alleyway that the meeting was supposedly going to be taking place at. He looked at the piece of paper again before looking at his watch to make sure that it was indeed the right time.

Takaba pressed himself further into the wall when he saw a figure began to approach, shifting slightly Takaba tried to make himself as hidden as possible while trying to get a good at who the person was.

Takaba was slightly surprised when he immediately recognized the man to be Asami followed by the blond guard from before, staying still Takaba watched as the third man approached them, a brief case in his hand.

"You brought the money?" The man asked Asami who smirked at him.

"Impatient much? You want the money then show me the product first."

"It's the drug you asked for, I didn't cheat." The man replied as he opened the briefcase so that Asami could look at the contents, pleased Asami nodded his head causing the blond guard to step forward and grab the briefcase while Asami gave the other money.

Takaba couldn't really process the fact that he was watching a drug deal take place. Asami was a drug dealer? That couldn't be, the man supposed to just be the owner of a publishing company, not some fucking drug dealer.

The conversation ended not that long after the exchange, Takaba stayed where he was at even after the man left because Asami seemed to show know sign of being ready to leave and the boy was certain if he himself moved he'd be found out right away and that was the last thing he wanted.

Though luck had never really been on Takaba's side. Turning around from his position Asami looked straight at the photographer and smirked causing the boy's blood to run cold, he'd been seen. Before Takaba had a chance to do anything someone came up from behind him, a strong arm grabbed him and before he had a chance to move a cloth covered his face and a familiar scent entered Takaba's nose before he passed out.

The first thing Takaba noticed when he woke up was that his head was pounding followed by the feeling of callused hands running over his body and molding his skin. Takaba tried to open his eyes but quickly shut them again when he found the light to be a bit too much for him to handle.

"Are you awake?" a familiar voice asked near his ear causing his eyes to shot opening. Now with his eyes fully open Takaba found himself in an unfamiliar room lying on a bed and completely undressed, one thing went through his mind: Rape.

"What the hell?" Takaba exclaimed as he tried to move but found he couldn't because two hands tightly wrapped around him prevented him from doing much of anything. Takaba craned his head to the side as much as he could only to be met with familiar golden eyes that shone brightly at him, amusement noticeable in them. "Asami!" Takaba exclaimed more panicked then before.

"Did you expect to be someone else?" the man asked as he Takaba felt a hand lower itself to his thigh causing him to realize exactly what was going on here. It wasn't just him who was naked, it was Asami also.

"Let me go!" Takaba snapped as tried again to get away from the older man but all this did for him was cause his wrists to be caught by one of Asami's hands. Takaba growled in annoyance at this.

"Why so irritated, shouldn't I be the one who's upset since you were snooping into my business?" Asami asked as the boy glared daggers at him. "Well?" Asami asked looking at him amused.

"I wasn't snooping around , I just happened to be there." Takaba defended himself causing the other to raise an eyebrow at him, Takaba didn't really realize exactly how much trouble he'd gotten himself into.

"Really, then why did that piece of paper disappear off of my desk if you just so happened to be there."

"What piece of paper are you talking about?" Takaba asked immediately breaking eye contact with the older man causing him to smirk as reached behind himself with his free hand for a small bottle.

"It'd seem that I'll have to punish you for two things now." Asami whispered near Takaba's ear before nipping it causing the boy to try and lean away from his.

"What the hell are you talking about? You're not going to do hell to me!" the boy snapped before Asami moved so that the boy was directly in front of him, his back resting right between his legs, this position also caused him to feel the rather large and hard member of Asami's that was currently just ever so slightly resting against his back causing him to squirm even more then before. "Relax, its going to become enjoyable soon enough." Releasing Takaba's wrists Asami quickly grabbed his chin as he popped the lid on the bottle open. Takaba would've tried to move his head if the iron grip Asami had on his jaw didn't hurt so much, he highly doubted if he did try to use his hands to pry the hand off his chin that it'd go smoothly, in fact he was certain it would only cause him more pain. Not being able to move Takaba had no choice but to inhale the sickly sweet smell that filled his nose causing him to feel lighted headed and hot.

"What was that?" He asked his voice sounded a little slower then before to him, not just that but everything seemed a little fuzzy to him too.

"Just something to make this a little more enjoyable for you." Asami replied as he licked the side of Takaba's neck while running his hands over the boy's body.

"Ahhh!" Takaba moaned slightly feeling his face redden as Asami nipped his neck while teasing his nipples, the older man smirked against his neck, enjoying the reaction he was receiving from the other, this is exactly what he wanted. Takaba's reaction even confused himself, he shouldn't be enjoy what this man was doing to him, he should be trying to get away from him, but his body and mind couldn't seem to come to an agreement. Tilting the boy's head to the side Asami kissed the other roughly while his hands begun traveling lower then before without the boy paying much attention to this.

Takaba couldn't prevent the gasp from coming out when Asami thrust two fingers inside of him as he arched his back to get away.

"Shhh." Asami soothed as tears pricked at the corner of the boy's eyes from the pain he was feeling from the intrusion. Takaba didn't like the feeling and it hurt greatly, he tried to squirm away, but Asami held him down with his free hand as he continued working his fingers in and out of the boy's hot entrance as the other whimpered slightly.

"You make such cute noises, my kawaii mangaka." Asami whispered as he pulled his fingers out of Takaba who relaxed quickly, thinking that he was finished. Feeling himself being moved slightly mixed with what happened next caused a cry of pain to ripe itself free from Takaba's throat as Asami penetrated him fully in one thrust.

"You're sucking me so tightly." Asami told the boy who was trying so hard to squirm away from him.

"Stop! Take it out!" Takaba cried as Asami thrust into him again, the pain was causing Takaba's head to spin.

Asami paid no attention to the cries and pleas of the boy under him as he continued thrusting and out of him at a steady pace. Asami rather enjoyed having the boy under him and being able to hear the other's voice. Moving his hand he began to quickly work the boy's cock which was already rather red. Takaba felt as his head began to spin from the mixture of pleasure and pain that he was receiving.

"Don't!" Takaba shouted as he felt himself nearing his climax, he didn't want to come, or at least he didn't Asami to be the one to make him come. Again though Asami paid no heed to the boy. "I'm going to cum!" Takaba shouted coming mere seconds later causing him seed to shot onto the bed as Asami came right after him.

"You're mine." Takaba blacked out after hearing these words whispered in his ear.


	2. Chapter 2

Takaba lay on the bed staring up at the ceiling, his lower back in agony. Asami hadn't attempted to be gentle with him and Takaba felt everything they had done the night before very well, though Takaba wouldn't admit the most irritating part to him was that the older man was already gone and now he was left alone someplace where he didn't even know where he was.

Takaba groaned and shut his eyes, what the hell was he supposed to do now? He knew he'd have to take a shower before doing much of anything else, but how was he going to be able to face the older man again?

He mentally cursed his father for all the trouble that he got himself into, it was his fault for engraving the thrill of danger into him and his damn insatiable curiosity not to mention all of the stories his father told him when he was younger about all of the trouble he used to get into while on the job, of course he wouldn't able to go up to his father and outright say "Thanks dad, because of you making me a danger seeker I ended up getting into trouble and being raped by a man who's supposed to be my boss just because I couldn't kept my nose out of where it didn't belong" he'd sooner die of shame then do something outrageous like that. That wasn't the worst of it though, Takaba couldn't come to terms with the fact that he actually liked what he felt, he enjoyed being touched by another man!

Takaba sat up from the bed deciding that he didn't have any other choice but to take a shower and dealt with things as they came at him. Takaba quickly regretted his decision to stand up when his legs gave out on him and he hit the ground, he was going to kill the older man later for this.

Takaba took a really hot shower and enjoyed the warm relief as the pain in his lower back became more manageable then before. Once out of the shower Takaba had no choice but wear the neatly folder suite the he had found sitting on the bathroom counter before his shower. Quickly getting dressed he forced himself to ignore the hicks around his collarbone. Once fully dressed Takaba felt as shiver go down his spine when he saw how well the suite fitted, he didn't want to know how the damn bastard knew his measurements.

It was became obvious to Takaba that the place Asami left him in was a hotel once he was outside of the room and standing in the hall. Looking at the number on the door he was pleased to see that the room was on the first floor, which meant he wouldn't have to take an elevator or stairs.

Takaba had just entered the lobby and was walking past the main counter when a woman stopped him.

"Are you Takaba Akihito?" the woman asked causing Takaba to give her an uncertain look.

"Yes, that's my name." Takaba replied as the woman reached into a draw on the desk she stood in front of.

"Someone by the name of Asami Ryuuichi asked me to give this to you before you left." The woman informed him as she handed him a tightly sealed envelope that smelled of smoke. Takaba looked at the envelope warily, fearing what he'd find inside. Opening it up he found that what was inside wasn't something he was expect. It was money, and not just a small amount at that. Taking it out carefully Takaba counted to find that it was seventy thousand yen, nothing to laugh at. Looking in the envelope again he saw a note that he pulled out. It was a hand written note done by Asami letting the mangaka know that the money inside was the down payment for his work. Realization dawned on Takaba when he remembered that he was looking at inside of a hotel lobby where quite a few people could easily see what he was doing. Quickly putting money and note back into envelope he stuffed it inside of his pocket before quickly leaving the hotel.

Once outside Takaba took a look around to try and get his bearings on exactly where he was. Once he saw a store and street sign he recognized he had a good idea of where he was at, but the problem with where was at made it so it took him a good half hour to get back to his house just walking and that was if he could clearly remember his way back. Pulling his wallet out he checked his funds only to find he just change left and that meant a taxi was out of the question for him, though he did have the money Asami gave him… Takaba shook his head immediately clearing this thought from his mind. He wouldn't use that money, at least not until he knew if Asami really meant to give him that much. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket he opened it up and clicked his contact list. He could very easily call Kou or Takato, but if they found him here standing in front of a hotel with a limp and wearing an expensive suit there was no doubt in his mind that he'd be asked a bunch of questions, which he wouldn't feel up to answer.

Just as Takaba got ready to close his cell phone it began to ring, checking the phone number Takaba frowned when he didn't recognize it but saw that it was in his contact list, did he forget this number? Bouncing his options back and for in his mind he decided it wouldn't hurt to answer the call because if it was someone he didn't want to speak to then all he had to do was hang up. Clicking the answer button he put the phone up to his ear.

"So you're finally awake." Takaba froze when he recognized the voice on the other end of the phone to belong to Asami.

"How the did you get this number?" Takaba asked both shocked and angry.

"What do you mean?" Takaba could almost feel Asami smirking on the other end of the phone.

"I never gave you my phone number so how the hell did you end up in my contact list?" Takaba asked trying to keep his temper in check so he didn't get too many people staring at him.

"I did it while you were asleep, after all it'll be important for us to keep in close contact especially now that you're working for me." That was another issue that Takaba wanted to bring up to Asami.

"Speaking of work, what's the deal with the money?"

"So she gave the envelope did she? Its not to your liking? I counted it myself so the proper amount should be in there."

"not quite, more like-"

"What is the problem then, is that you want more? If so then I have more then enough money to pay for your well being." that thought alone was more then enough to piss Takaba off even further.

"I'm not saying what you gave me wasn't enough! In fact I think it's too much!" Takaba snapped.

"Interesting." There was a large pause on the other end of the phone after Asami said this and Takaba could hear him talking to someone else. " I would like to hear more about your thinking on this, but I'm currently very busy. You'll be having a meeting with in two hours so we can more then." Asami didn't even wait for Takaba to say anything before hanging up causing the other one to stand there stunned. Looking at the time on his phone Takaba saw that it was already nine, which would then mean he'd have to be at Asami's office by eleven. Gritting his teeth he shoved his cell phone back into his pocket before pulling the envelope out and staring at it. As the money amount didn't seem to be a mistake Takaba had no problem using it for getting a taxi.

After paying the taxi driver the proper amount Takaba breathed a sigh of relief being happy that he was finally back in front of his house where he belonged, now he just had to get out of the horrible suite and into something more comfortable and everything would be right in the world again, at least until he had to see Asami.

Takaba had hardly changed out of the suite and was in the middle of making some instant noodles when there was a knock on the door. Carefully setting the cup of noodles back down on the table he carefully stood up and made his way to the door.

Opening the door caused Takaba to receive a rather painful flick to the forehead.

"Owe! What the hell was that for?" Takaba asked rubbing the painful spot on his forehead.

"What the hell do you think it was for? Were you trying to give one of your best friend's a heart attack?" Takato asked glaring at Takaba.

"What are you talking about?" Takaba asked looking up at his friend who snorted at him.

"I called you over a dozen times last night after you suddenly left saying that you had something important to do. On top of that you didn't even apologize and let me know everything was good. You're damn lucky I was stuck at work until now or you'd have been chewed out a lot sooner. Spill it now, you hardly ever miss one of my calls, which can only mean something major must've happened last night." Takato replied causing realization to dawn on Takaba, because of what happened last night there was no way for him to answer the calls or even remember getting them. Takato was rather sharp meaning Takaba had to come up with something quick to cover himself before his friend began to suspect something major was going on.

"Sorry, I was really engross in my work last night and turned my cell phone onto vibration so I wouldn't get interrupted." Takaba apologized receiving a scrutinizing stare from his friend.

"Honestly?" Takato asked making Takaba nod his head.

"Honestly, I even have the work to show if you'd like." Takaba offered certain if he did this his friend wouldn't doubt him anymore.

"Fine, but next time you do that you won't be getting off with just a simple flick to the head. At least let me know when you want to shut out the world, okay?"

"No problem." Takaba replied smiling at his friend. Though Takato had a habit acting a bit rough with Takaba it was only due to the fact that he really cared for the other, after all they'd been friends for a long time.

"I'd talk more, but I only got half an hour off of work so I have to leave again. Update me more on how everything is going when I get back latter." Takato told his friend.

"No problem, besides I'll have something interesting to show you when you get back anyway." Takato grinned at his friend before leaving and allowing Takaba to get back to his wilted noodles.

After having finished eating Takaba begun working on his manga some since he still had a little over an hour left before he had to see Asami again and working on his manga helped to calm his nerves some.

He already knew how he was going to deal with the older man, he'd just let him know that he didn't want to work for him, and once he said that he just had to hope that everything would go smoothly from there. It was a simple plan, but sadly it could have many twists and turns involved if Takaba didn't handle himself the right way.

He worked for about half an hour managing to get three pages done before he had to clean everything up and get ready for the meeting. Him having to put everything back into the closest made him glare at the suit again, he had put it there for the time being because while he didn't really want it, there might come a point in time when he'd need it and he didn't have a good suit anymore.

Asami sat in his office looking through some documents while watching the wall on the clock, ten minutes before Takaba was to show up, but Asami wondered if the boy was really going to show up or just skip the appointment because he didn't want to see him. Asami smirked at this thought, because even if Takaba didn't show up for the meeting there wasn't anything stopping him from going to the boy if the boy didn't want to come to him. Picking up the wine glass on the desk next to him he took a sip and savored the flavor before setting the glass back down on the desk at the same time the office door opened to reveal Takaba.

"So you decided to come I see." Asami commented as Takaba approached the desk with not so much as a word passing through his lips causing Asami amusement as he wonder what the boy was planning on doing.

Sitting down in front of the desk Takaba pulled the envelope out of his pocket and set it down on the desk in front of Asami.

"Take it back, this is half of what you gave me, I'm not willing to take such a large sum of money without having worked for it." Takaba explained causing Asami to smirk.

"So you're still planning on working for me?" Takaba gave a firm nod of his head, determination showing in his eyes. Asami was slightly surprised because he had honestly expected the boy to quit.

"I not willing to give in that easily." Takaba replied.

"Then show me what you have." Asami held out his hand for the folder that Takaba gave to him.

"This has the rest of what I have done on the story in it." opening up the folder Asami looked over everything carefully taking in how well the characters and sceneries were drawn causing him to wonder where he got his inspiration from.

"By looking at these I can easily tell what the story is about, but I want you to tell me what the story is about."

"Well, as you know the story centers around a photographer who targets criminals and tries to take them down, he here is the main character." Takaba explained pointing to a man in of the pictures.

"And what made him choose his career field?"

"It was because of her." Takaba pointed to a woman in one of the pictures who's hand was being held by another man. "He loves her very much, but she says they cannot be together because of the company she is in charge of due to the fact that there are many people who want to take her life. The main character has a best friend and rival who is in charge of a criminal organization and due to this fact they cannot be together anymore and he also loves the woman dearly."

"By the scenes I get the feeling that she isn't as pure as she seems."

"You're correct, she inherited her father's organization after his death, she loves everyone who's in organization dearly because they've always been there for her, but she also loves the photographer but decides to use his lover for her to help her stay afloat. She wished to tell him all of this but she is afraid that if she did he'd hate her for it. The main character's friend thinks that she should marry him rather then the photographer because it would benefit her more." Takaba explained. Asami noticed that the whole entire time that Takaba was speaking he seemed more at ease and didn't really seem to care that much who exactly he was speaking to.

"The story seems to have a good plot and firm foundation as long as you're able to write it, it should sell well." Takaba seemed thrilled when he heard these words. "If you can get everything cleaned up by tomorrow afternoon there's no reason why it shouldn't be able to be published."

"If that's true then I'll get on taking care of it right away." Takaba said as he stood up and prepared to grab the folder in front of Asami, before he got that far Asami grabbed his hand causing the other to freeze from the contact.

"You shouldn't leave so soon, I was hoping to have lunch with you?"

"And why the hell should I have lunch with you?" Takaba growled pulling away from Asami.

"Because it would give us the chance to get to know each other better."

"The less time I spend with you better." Takaba replied causing Asami to smirk.

"Then you wouldn't mind if a certain video were to get out?"

"Video?" Takaba asked turning to face Asami.

"Yes, a very important video. I myself wouldn't mind if this video were to get out, but fore you it'd probably change how a lot of people look at you." Takaba blanched considerable the moment he realized what Asami must've been talking about.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Of course I wouldn't, at least not as long as you listen to what I say." Asami replied.

"Fine I'll have lunch with." Takaba replied through gritted teeth causing Asami to smirk in triumph.

Takaba sat in his own corner of the limousine as he kept an eye on Asami who too busy talking on his cell phone to pay much attention to him, which was relief yet irritation to Takaba at the same time. The man irritated the hell out of Takaba, yet here the mangaka was with no choice but to listen to the other.

Asami got off the cell phone just about the time that the limousine slowed to a stop and Kirishima got out to open the doors for them. Takaba stared up in surprise at where they were at. It was club Sion, the club Sion, one of the few places Takaba believed that he'd never have enough money to ever get in to. Not that if he did have the money he'd go there because in his opinion everyone there was snobs and he really hated snobs.

Takaba silently followed after Asami who entered the building when the guard opened the door for them.

Once inside all eyes turned to look at them, most of them were fixed on Asami who paid them no heed, but a certain amount were also staring at Takaba with a looking similar to disgust noticeable in their eyes. Takaba followed Asami up the stairs and down the hall before Asami opened the door of a VIP room for them.

The room was very classy and Takaba could easily tell that it cost more money then he'd ever be willing to pay for it. A glass table stood in the middle of the room with a vase of red roses in the middle of it and four wooden chairs surrounded it. A bar was in the corner of the room and two armchairs were positioned near it. Asami watched as Takaba surveyed the room before taking as seat.

"Order whatever you'd like." Asami told the boy as a waiter entered the room to take their orders.

The lunch was fairly quiet one, Asami focused more on eating then talking and that caused Takaba to feel rather uncomfortable, because when he was with Kou and Takato having lunch they usually had lots to talk about, but with this man all words seemed to flee his mind so he just focused on eating and tried not to stare at the other too long.

Once the meal was over they headed back out to the limousine without so much as a word passing between them and that really began to irritate Takaba because Asami was the one who wanted to have lunch with him so that they could get to know each other better but Asami hadn't said a single word during the entire thing.

Once they both back inside the limousine Takaba stared out of the window choosing to ignore Asami who was staring straight ahead while smoking, his minding seem to be on other things then the boy.

They were minutes away from Takaba's house before Asami chose to speak to the other.

"Are you upset?"

"No."

"Then why're you so quiet?"

"Because there's nothing to talk about.

"Is that so? Then how about we do something else." Asami had hardly finished speaking before he was right next to Takaba not giving the other much room to move.


	3. Chapter 3

Takaba's senses went haywire the moment Asami leaned over him blocking any chance of escape he had, not that the boy had much chance of escaping with being strapped in a seatbelt and all, but that didn't matter much to him. He cursed himself mentally for allowing his guard to be lowered and allowing for himself to be put in such a dangerous situation.

"What're you-" Before Takaba had a chance to finish speaking Asami's lips crashed down on his taking him by surprise as a hand slide under his shirt to brush against his chest. Takaba shut his eyes as he used what little space he had to try and shove the other away, which turned to be futile because the other was much too strong for him. Asami slide his tongue across Takaba's bottom lip before nipping it softly to let the other know that he wanted entrance into his mouth, Takaba growled in response to this, which only caused him to open his mouth just wide enough so that the other could force his tongue into his mouth. The moment Asami's tongue touched Takaba's, the boy's rebellious side awakened and he immediately began to fight with the other's tongue, though the battle was short lived as he begun to run out of air.

Asami broke the kiss to allow Takaba to suck in much needed oxygen. Now being released Takaba tried once again to push against Asami's chest but this just caused his wrists to be captured and pinned above his head, not having anything else to do Takaba glared up at the older man who smirked at him. The look in the boy's eyes was the one that Asami wanted, a defiance that ran so deep that it knew no bounds.

"Show me what you're made of." Asami whispered before kissing the other again roughly not giving Takaba any kind of room to protest. Breaking the kiss Asami began to nip the flesh around Takaba's neck earning him a very soft moan from the other as he gripped the expensive suit without really knowing what he was doing.

Takaba's mind was spinning quickly as Asami went from biting his neck to teasing his nipples, alternating between biting and sucking on them. At the moment Takaba was appreciative of the fact that his shirt was pulled up to his neck and made it sure that the older man couldn't see the blush that was covering his face.

"Stop." Takaba tried to put some force into what he said, but it was rather hard to when Asami's hand managed to find its way to the edge of his pants and his fingers were just dipping below the rim, mere inches away from his member that was hard with need.

Amusement shone in Asami's eyes when he heard what the other said, he wanted him to stop? Did you the boy honestly expect him to do as he said? Glancing to the side he saw that they were nearing the area that Takaba said he lived in. Then again maybe he would…

Takaba gasped and involuntarily arched his back when Asami's hand made contact with his member, making his vision become slightly hazy.

"You're hard, yet, you want me stop?" Asami asked as he brushed the underside of Takaba's member receiving a very light moan in response to this. Realizing exactly what he was doing Takaba shut his eyes and bit his bottom lip to stop himself from releasing any other noises. He wanted to encourage the older man anymore then he already had despite being hard.

"Since you haven't responded I'll take it that you're answer it still the same before." Asami told Takaba before pulling away from the other, who was both stunned and confused by what had just happened. Asami lit a cigarette as he watched Takaba process exactly what had happened, the boy's face was still bright red as he glanced over at the older man, his eyes still slightly glazed over and slightly confused. "Did you not want me stop?" Asami asked turning to face the boy who immediately turned away from him. "We could always continue if you wanted to." Asami offered as the limousine began to slow to a stop signaling that they were now in front of Takaba's house.

"Fuck no!" Takaba hissed as he began to open his car door once the vehicle and come to a complete stop. "Keep your perverted hands to yourself!" Takaba snapped as he grabbed his documents off of the seat before slamming the door shut, as he made his way into his house.

Asami watched the boy the entire time, smirking in satisfaction. It had been a long time since he last met someone that caused him to be amused so easily.

"Back to the club." Asami ordered as he lit up yet another cigarette, it was still midday, but there was some work that he needed to take care of.

Takaba was still fuming after he entered the house, slamming the folder down no the table he went into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge, taking a large drink of it before pouring a small amount over his head in hopes to cool himself. He was upset at Asami for what he did, but also at himself for reacting so easily to what the older man did to him, even more so for the fact that he had allowed for himself to become hard.

A cold shower was what he needed, but the question was whether or not he had the time to afford taking one. He had about fifty pages on his manga that he needed to fix up before tomorrow afternoon and it was already past two.

Takaba could handle doing an all nighter, but he didn't think that he could handle pulling an all nighter and on top of that having to deal with Asami the next day. Takaba wasn't quite certain is Asami was testing him or just being a jackass and enjoying feeling him up, but either way Takaba wasn't pleased.

Groaning Takaba decided that he had no choice but to take a shower, because of the course his mind was running there was no way he was going to be able to concentrate on his work and not be distracted.

The shower worked a treat on him, even though it was miserable cold it took care of the problem of his aching member and stopped himself from embarrassing himself even more by masturbating while thinking of the older man. Now he could focus on his work without any problem.

Everything was still feeling like a dream for Takaba though, after all he had just begun drawing his manga as a sort of hobby to distract himself from what he had really wanted to do, which was follow after his father and become a criminal photographer, but his father had strictly been against it because of all the trouble he'd gotten himself into and all the stress it had caused his wife.

So rather then actually becoming one he decided to do a manga about one instead. It was slightly difficult to do the manga though because he didn't have any real experience in the field so he could only work from what his father had told him and what little he could find out about them.

Takaba hadn't really excepted to get published or become famous, not to say he wasn't pleased to be where he was at, but the idea of becoming famous from his story didn't even enter his mind until Takato suggested it, due to how much time Takaba sent learning how to draw so well and the time it took him to draw and redraw scenes till he was pleased with them.

The manga was Takaba's way of staying out of trouble and it pleased his parents because it seemed like a very harmless job, Takaba did wonder though what his parents would do if they found out that despite the fact that he tried to take a very harmless job course he still somehow managed to get himself into some sort of trouble. What Takaba didn't realize though was the exact amount of trouble that he did end up getting himself into. Asami was a person who shouldn't be touched in any way shape or form.

Takaba didn't quite understand this point, for though he knew or at least thought he had seen the man doing something that was considered illegal, he didn't push that point much or at least not yet because he had wanted to see what Asami was planning on doing first. He hated being near the older man, but he wasn't going to allow something as simple as that to stop him from becoming famous after all ready coming halfway.

Realizing that he was getting distracted again Takaba sighed trying to clear his mind as he refocused himself on the task of fixing his manga up, he had hardly done any work on it and he didn't really feel up to doing an all nighter even though he accepted the fact that it might be his fate.

Asami sat scanning through the reports on his desk, everything was going smoothly from drug deals to arms smuggling. The routes were all secure and the officers who know of these routes were smart enough to keep their mouths shut showing how much they valued their lives.

Asami did use the police though depending on the circumstances, after all there were always bodies that needed to be taken care of, then there were also the times when he was able to use them to help him get rid of some pests who tried to scurry around in his territory without his permission.

Most people on the outside world though didn't know exactly how dangerous he was. He not only did he have his publishing company, but the many different high-class clubs he opened just in order to disguise himself as a legal business man, rather then a high powered man who worked in the underworld.

Glancing over to the clock on the wall Asami noted that it was nearing four and that meant he'd have to leave soon in order to make it for an appointment with another mangaka who also had just recently began being published by him. Of course Asami didn't just accept any run of the mile mangaka, the person had to have talent before he'd even considering publishing them, he might've had a lot of money but that didn't mean he was going to waste it.

Takaba would've been an exception of course, because Asami found the boy to be different the moment he saw him in his office, of course though Takaba didn't have to make an exception because his work was very good. Asami did wondering though if the boy was going to be able to have everything ready before next afternoon, after all it was getting to be pretty late into the day.

Crushing the cigarette in the ashtray Asami stood up, pressing the buzzer on his desk letting Kirishima know that he wanted the limousine to be ready for him.

Takaba leaned back in his chair and gave a sigh of relief, he was done, everything was finished. Even though it was midnight it was still done. Standing up even though he didn't want to Takaba began straightening everything up so it would be in order for the next morning, once he was done doing that he could go straight to sleep. Slept was what he needed most especially if he was going to have to deal with Asami the next day.

Takaba woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing nonstop, groaning he reached over to his nightstand and grabbed it off. Cracking his eyes open he looked at the time to see that it was only seven thirty, who the hell was calling him at seven thirty in the morning when he wasn't even ready to get up yet?

"Hello?" Takaba asked putting the cell phone up to his ear as he sat up.

"You weren't awake yet?" Takato asked in mock disbelief despite knowing that Takaba didn't get up anytime before eight thirty unless there was a reason to.

"Its still early in the morning, so why're you calling?" Takaba asked stifling a yawn as he lay back down on the bed.

"Did you forget that we agreed to have breakfast together this morning to celebrate you being hired?" Takaba sat straight up when Takato reminded him of this.

"I remember that we were going to have breakfast, but I didn't realize you thinking about having it this early in the morning."

"When else do you expect us to be able to have it? If I waited for you to get up when you usually do it would've been too late. Remember I do start work in an hour and a half." Takato replied.

"Fine, fine, I'll get ready then, just give a few minutes to get dressed."

"Good, both Kou and I will be waiting right outside of your apartment for you."

"See you in a few then." Takaba replied before hanging up. Seven thirty in the morning was no time to be having breakfast at, but it meant that he got a chance to spend some time with his friends, which he knew as going to become a harder thing to do the more he had to do with his manga.

Takaba grinned once he was outside of his house and saw his two friends waiting for him.

"So where are we going to be eating at?" He asked putting his arms over their shoulders.

"Why don't you decide since we're going to be the ones treating you?" Takato suggested catching Takaba off guard.

"Hold on, shouldn't I be the one treating you guys since I got paid."

"Not even!" Kou laughed. "We're celebrating the fact you just got hired doing what you wanted to do so we're treating you, arguments aside." Takaba could already tell that no matter how much he disagreed with his friend's decision they wouldn't listen to him.

"Find, lets get Ramen then, I know that they have a really good place around here that supposed to have some of the best around.

"Fine, but if you even try to go cheep on us I won't forgive you." Takato replied causing Takaba to chuckle.

"Come on you guys know how much I can eat when I'm hungry." Takaba assured his friends.

The ramen shop was a decent one and the food was very good, and it was no where near as expensive as Takaba was certain it was when Asami had him dine with him at club Sion, that was something he was never going to tell his friends about unless there was a real reason to.

"So is the pay good?" Kou asked once the food was in front of them and they had begun to eat.

"Midway, but I'm not going to complain." Takaba replied before taking a bite.

"And how about your boss, is he nice?" This question almost caused Takaba to choke and he had to act quickly in order to stop himself.

"I suppose so?" Takaba replied with a weak chuckle, he couldn't really say Asami was nice even if he wanted to, the man was a dark evil pervert.

"What type of answer is that?" Takato laughed. "Is it because you haven't met him yet?"

"Oh no, we've met, in fact he treated me to lunch yesterday." Takaba replied he wasn't going to mention what happened after lunch. "On that aspect I suppose he is, though he does tend to very focused on getting business done without messing around." Takaba explained.

"Sounds like my boss, you'll have to introduce us sometime when he has a bit of free time on his hand."

"I'll see about that." Takaba replied.

"So when are you getting published?" Kou asked finishing his first bowel for ramen.

"Today actually, that's why I was doing all of that work yesterday evening. He said that if I could get everything done before this afternoon then I'd be good to be published." Takaba replied as he ordered himself a second.

"I guess that means another celebration tonight!" Kou shouted pumping his fist into the air.

"Maybe." Takaba chuckled.

"Aww, don't ruin the mood, it's a nice thought." Kou said leaning against his friend.

"A nice thought for me would be if you two could finish eating pretty soon." Takato commented as he sat watching his friends enjoying their second bowls. "I do have work I need to get to in forty five minutes."

"No worries, we'll stop heres so you won't get yelled at." Takaba replied and Kou nodded his head in agreement.

Once breakfast was done and he was back home Takaba wasted some more time looking over all of the work he did the night before making sure he did a good job with it seeing as he was very tired and hardly remembered half of what he did. All of it seemed good though, now he just needed to collect it all and head to Asami's office later and it'd be published. Now Takaba just had to worry about whether or not people would enjoy reading his story, he was certain that there were other stories like his out there so he already expected competition, but did his story even compare to the others? That was his main concern. Thinking about this made him realize that he should delve more into manga and see exactly what most of the popular stories out there are like. Though he didn't like the thought of asking the other it did pass through his mind that maybe Asami would have a few popular mangakas that worked for him and that he could introduce to Takaba.

Just after Takaba had finished putting everything into a folder his cell phone rang again. Picking it up he turned it on without looking to see who was calling.

"Hello?"

"The boss says you can come to the office now if you're ready, he has time for you." Takaba wasn't certain who was calling him but he guessed it was one of Asami's men by what they were saying.

"Do I have to be there in a certain amount of time?" Takaba asked picking up his folder.

"No." came the simple reply.

"Then I'm on my way there now." Takaba hardly finished speaking before he heard the dial tone. Things were going much quicker then Takaba had expected.

Takaba tapped his foot impatiently as he sat in the office waiting on Asami, the man said he would have time for him if he came to the office now, but Asami wasn't even there yet…

Sighing he looked around the room till his eyes landed on the filing cabinet in the corner, the one that Asami seemed to always lock when he was there. Takaba's curiosity perked when he thought about the fact that no one was currently in the room to watch him, so what better time to snoop around. Takaba was already fairly certain that Asami was a criminal so if he found more evidence it would just prove him to be right; he just had to make sure he didn't get caught.

Standing up slowly he quietly made his way over to the filing cabinet and trying to open the first draw, which much to his disappointment was locked. Thankfully though the second one opened right away for him.

White folders were what were in the draw; all of them had different names on them and were put in alphabetical order. Picking up the first one and opening it Takaba saw a picture of a older looking gentleman and information on one page, flipping the page he found what he was looking, in formation on the various illegal activates he did. Takaba quickly scanned over them surprised by all of them before putting the folder back and picking up another that was done in similar fashion. This either meant that these people worked for Asami, Asami had something against them, or he was just simply profiling them, either way it was what Takaba was looking for.

Not wishing to get found out though Takaba put the other folder back into place and softly closed the cabinet before sitting back down again.

Mere minutes after this Asami entered the room.

"Took you long enough." Takaba mumbled causing Asami to glance over at him.

"A client kept me a little longer the expected." Asami replied taking a seat and opening the folder in front of him.

"Client, as in another mangaka?" Takaba perked up when he thought about this.

"Yes." Asami replied not looking up from the folder. The boy had done a very good job of taking care of everything so that it looked good. "We'll definitely be able to get this published today. We'll just use a computer to clean it up a bit more before that." Asami explained closing the folder and turning his attention back to Takaba.

"How long will that take?"

"The whole process will take a little more then half an hour. If you wouldn't mind waiting here I'll give you back these when it's done." Asami replied grabbing the folder as he stood up.

"I don't mind waiting if it isn't going to take that long." Takaba replied.

"You won't mind waiting here on your own for a few minutes while I hand this off and take care of another client?"

"Not at all." Takaba replied watching as Asami stared at him for a few seconds longer before heading out of the room.

Once Asami was out of the room he didn't hid his smirk anymore. He knew the boy had been snooping, of course he didn't need the hidden camera to tell him that much he could read it easily on the boy's face despite how well the other hid his nervousness. A punishment was due; this time it would see he'd need to do something a little more detrimental to teach his boy a lesson.


	4. Chapter 4

**And the fourth chapter finally comes out! **

**Yuri is an OC created by me for this chapter and you'll probably never meet her again, she just helped to aid Asami in giving him a good way to punish poor Takaba.**

**I do want to think everyone who has reviewed this story so far, I'm glad to know that you really like it. **

Takaba was left alone in Asami's office for maybe ten minutes before the older man came back with a young woman who appeared to be rather nervous as she walked behind the other. Takaba stood up once the two of them were fully in his office.

"Takaba, this is Yuri, she is one of the newer mangakas that has been hired by my company." Asami told the boy.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Yuri said bowing her head causing Takaba to the same.

"Likewise." Takaba replied. Takaba wouldn't deny the fact that Yuri was rather cute and close to his type with her slender build and semi long dark hair and large eyes Glancing over to Asami he saw an unreadable look in eyes that caused a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach to form.

"Yuri, please take a seat." Asami said offering her the seat that Takaba was previously occupying, "She is having a very hard time drawing up a kiss scene so I was hoping that you could help me to demonstrate to her how a good one is done." Asami explained causing Yuri to blush slightly obviously embarrassed by the same lack of talent she had.

"I can try to help that with that, though I won't guarantee that I can do much better of a job then her." Takaba replied as he turned around to face the desk to grab his sketchpad to start drawing.

"Actually I was thinking that we could show her in a much more efficient way if she'd get her equipment ready first." Asami explained causing Takaba to stop what he was doing as Yuri quickly got her pad and drawing pen ready.

"What other way are you planning on showing her?" Takaba asked turning to face Asami, without responding Asami grabbed a hold of Takaba's arm and moved him so he was fully facing the other. Asami put a hand on Takaba's back and one behind his head, pulling the other forward Asami caused their lips to connect, golden eyes locked into hazel eyes as the boy began to freak out for he was well aware of the fact that there was someone watching them. Takaba immediately tried to push against the other's chest, but the moment that he stared into those intent and lust filled golden eyes he stopped what he had been doing and instead gripped the expensive suite. He could feel the amusement in Asami's eyes but he didn't care, he reacted right away when he felt Asami nip his bottom lip wanting entrance, opening his mouth the two tongues quickly started to mingle, Asami's tongue being more dominate quickly got Takaba's to submit as he explored his mouth. Takaba's eyes began to slide close when he felt himself losing oxygen, but something about the kiss felt so right at that moment he didn't want it to end.

Yuri who'd been just sitting there stunned by what she saw while blushing madly, remember that the two of them were doing it for her so she quickly got to sketching the scene that was in front of her.

A few seconds later the kiss was broke and Takaba slowly opened his eyes again to stare into golden ones, no emotions were noticeable in them as Asami released Takaba and took a step back from the other. Takaba was still slightly dazed as he stared at the other, until he heard Asami speak and then remember that they weren't the only two who were in the room.

"Did that help you any?" Asami asked Yuri who nodded her head, looking between the two men to her sketchpad. "Is there anything else that you need help with while you're here?" Yuri quickly stood up shaking her head.

"That was all I need, thank you Asami-sama." Yuri bowed her head before quickly scuffling out of the office.

"You bastard!" Takaba snapped at the older man mere seconds after Yuri had left the office, not caring if anyone could hear what he was saying. Takaba was pissed off, but who he was exactly pissed off at he wasn't that certain. Asami most certainly did something that deeply embarrassed him, but he knew he was also irritated at himself for giving in so easily.

"What are you so upset about Takaba, the kiss was just for work after all." The way Asami stated that so nonchalantly pissed the boy off even more.

"You could at least warn someone that you're going to do that!" Takaba retorted back causing Asami to smirk.

"Was it really that bad? From what I recall you really seemed to be enjoying it just a few moments ago." This statement caused Takaba to blush a deep red color, not being able to find any words to say the boy turned away from the older man and headed for the office door. "Are you leaving already even though you haven't collected your drafts?" Asami asked lighting a cigarette as he watched Takaba.

"I can come and pick them up later." Takaba replied as he began to twist the door handle.

"But what if I want you stay?" Asami asked causing the mangaka to stop. Takaba already knew that the moment Asami said these words he didn't have the right to refuse him because of what the other currently had. Gritting his teeth Takaba released the door handle before stalking back to the chair he was previously sitting and reseating himself knowing that Asami was watching his every action.

"Happy now?" Takaba asked not even looking at the other who was once again smirking.

"There is actually one more thing that would make me happier and I'm already certain that you know what it is." Asami replied as he scanned the boy over.

"Fuck you." Takaba hissed, the one and only thing that Takaba wasn't going to allow Asami to do was touch him in the office, he wasn't going to allow himself to be put into such an embarrassing situation no matter what the older man said to him.

"You shouldn't try insinuating anything if it isn't what you want." Asami replied causing the mangaka to give him a death glare, but before he could actually say any words his cell phone started ringing catching Asami's attention also. Pulling the cell phone out of his pocket and flipping it open Takaba saw that it was Takato calling him. Pressing the answer button Takaba held the phone up to his ear.

Asami lit another cigarette as he watched the other listening to whoever was talking to the boy on the phone.

"I just happened to notice that you're not home yet, so what's going on?" Takato asked.

"I'm still busy at the office actually, my manga is in the middle of being published right now." Takaba replied glancing over to Asami when he felt the other staring at him in a very unnerving way.

"So when is it going to be coming out?"

"It'll probably be a few days before you actually see it in the magazine, but I expect it to take no longer then a week." Takaba turned around when he heard the room's door close letting him know that Asami had just left.

"What was that noise?" Takato asked, obviously hearing the sound of the door closing behind the other.

"That was just my boss leaving." Takaba replied feeling slightly more relieved now that the older man wasn't there looming around him. "I'm guessing that he went to go and check on how the publishing process is going."

"Damn, I guess I just missed my chance to talk to him." Takato chuckled on the other end of the phone causing Takaba to do the same. "So when do you think that you'll be done there?"

"I can't really say, I would think that it won't be much longer, but then again my boss was hinting at us having lunch together again."

"You lucky dog!" Takaba just imagine his friend grinning on the other end of the phone. "I just wish that my boss was that kind to me." Takaba really wanted to say, "If only you knew just how "Kind" he was, then maybe you'd rethink what you're currently saying."

"I suppose I am lucky, but I should probably hang up for the time being so that I can get finished here quicker."

"I guess that means then I'll be expecting to see you later tonight."

"Suppose so, talk to you later then." About the same time that Takaba closes his phone up Asami reenters the room holding the folder that held all of Takaba's work in it.

"It has all been taken care of so it won't be long before it'll be seen in the magazine." Asami explained setting the folder down on the desk in front of Takaba.

"I suppose I'm not safe to leave yet am I?" Takaba asks resting his hands on the folder.

"Not yet." Asami replied causing the other to groan inwardly at whatever ever it was Asami was planning for him.

Takaba soon found himself once again riding in the damn limousine with the damn older man doing nothing more then talking on his phone without so much as a glance at the mangaka who was staring out the window, it was vexing to say in the least for Takaba who currently wanted to do nothing more then head back to his house and have fun with this friends, but due to the older man sitting next to him ignoring he wasn't able to.

Takaba was then uncertain if he should be pleased or pissed when he found the limousine parking right outside of a bar, it was no where near as fancy looking as club Sion, but it wasn't that shabby either. If it was a bar that they were going to then Takaba already knew what he was going to do, screw Asami.

Takaba ordered ice cream, he didn't give a damn what the older man said about it, he needed something sweet after everything that had happened. Of course ice cream wasn't all that he had ordered, he also had ordered some whisky, but had as of yet to touch it while he ate his ice cream. Though the moment that he had said he wanted ice cream the bartender immediately smiled at him, more then likely think that he was childish for his choice of what he wanted.

"Can you handle alcohol?" Asami asked, holding the shot glass in his hand as he sipped it slowly.

"Of course I can." Takaba replied scowling at the older man as he set his bowl to the side to pick up his glass and down the liquid all at once. "Another one please!" he shouted sliding his glass over to other side of the counter for the bartender to refill. "I've drank alcohol on plenty of different occasions before."

"Just because you have drank it many times before doesn't meant that your body can handle it." Asami replied setting his shot glass down to be refilled at the boy had his glass refilled for the third time. Takaba didn't really care at moment whether or not he could handle the alcohol for the only reason he was drinking was so that he could relax for a bit, after all Asami did take a lot of energy out of him.

"Hey Asami, I can drink well can't I?" Takaba asked, his voice slightly slurred as they headed towards the limousine, Takaba was gripping the shoulders of Asami's suit forcing the other to half drag and carry the mangaka because the other refused to pick up his feet.

"You should learn better drinking etiquette before I take you with me next time." Asami replied as he shoved the other into the limousine,

The first few minutes of the limousine drive were in silence as Asami sat with his arms crossed while Takaba leaned against his shoulder, his face bright red and his eyes slightly glazed over.

"What do you want from me anyway?" Asami glanced over to the boy who was sitting up a little more as he stared at him with questioning eyes. "Why do you keep doing all of this time?"

"You intrigue me, your determination to never give up and your defiance, I want to see more of it." Asami replied watching as Takaba leaned closer into him.

"You think you can control me?" Takaba asked as Asami grabbed his chin, firmly but not too rough.

"Why do you think that I'm controlling you?" Asami asked releasing Takaba's chin and leaning back in his seat causing Takaba to be the one to make the first move. Asami smirked in amusement as Takaba moved so he was now sitting in the other's lap, his eyes slightly unfocused as he tried to stare into the golden ones in front of him.

"I hate the way that you look at me."

"So what're you going to do about it?"

The kiss was broken and Takaba moaned loudly as Asami brushed his thumb over the tip of his red leaking cock while at the same time nipping his neck. Asami's eyes were only slightly opened as he continued his slow work on the boy's cock while thrusting two fingers into him. Takaba arched his back and let out a cry of pleasure from the sensation of the fingers inside of him.

Asami was enjoying everything that the boy was doing, the sweet sounds he was making was causing him to want to go further with the mangaka, though there was only so much he do to the other while they were inside of the limousine.

"There!" Takaba shouted thrusting his hips back when Asami's fingers hit his sweet spot straight on causing him to see stars as he neared his climax. Knowing that the other was getting close to cumming Asami quickened his speed as he rubbed the boy's cock quicker causing another cry of pleasure to release itself from Takaba's throat as he was ripped between the dual pleasures. Asami felt as Takaba's tight ring of muscle constricted around his fingers as the boy came arching his back.

Asami couldn't help but smirk when the boy fell back against him unconscious from the energy his climax had taken from him, though the older man was certain the other was going to bitch him out about everything later on.

Once the limousine stopped Asami dropped Takaba off at his house, putting the other in his bed and making sure to lock the door before he left. Asami might've considered staying seeing how late it was if it wasn't for the fact that he still had some work to do.

In the middle of said work Asami's phone decided to ring. Picking it up his eyes narrowed slightly when he heard the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Isn't this a pleasant surprise, I didn't actually expect you to pick up seeing how late it is."

"Why're you calling?" Asami asked, his voice indifferent.

"Why do you think I'm calling? Did you forget that we have a meeting that is going to be taking place next week? I thought I should at least call you and remind you that I'll be coming to see you next week." The person on the other end of the phone replied. "I do look forward to see you again." Not in the mood to talk much Asami hung up without saying anything in reply. He had almost completely forgotten that a certain somebody was coming to meet him next week to discuss business between the two companies.


	5. Chapter 5

Takaba was beginning to lose his patience with Asami rather quickly; it had a little under a week since his manga had been published and since the incident in Asami's office. Takaba wasn't quite certain what exactly happened to Asami, but two days after that incident he found Asami's expensive limousine parked right outside of his house waiting for him. When he asked Asami why exactly he had come to pick him up the older man just told him to get inside and refused to answer his question, but the mangaka could easily tell that there was something different about the man.

After that day Asami continued to come over morning at about nine-thirty, which was the time that Takaba finished breakfast at. It wasn't so much that he minded Asami coming to pick him up, but more so that he minded the looks and whispering the people did when they saw the limousine parked outside of his house.

Takaba cursed himself for showing the older man to his house, but what he really wanted to know was how Asami knew when he finished his breakfast.

"You know, I don't need you to come here every morning just to pick me up." Takaba commented as he took his seat in the limousine causing Asami to glance up at him from the papers he was looking at.

"It's not matter of whether you need me to or want me to, but whether or not I want to do it." Asami replied, Takaba sighed when he heard these remember that fact that somehow everything always went back to what the older man wanted, not what he wanted or felt comfortable with.

Takaba stopped looking at the window and looked down at his lap when Asami set a piece of paper there.

"This shows the sale of the magazine since your manga has been added." Asami explained as Takaba looked at the graph, the mangaka couldn't deny the fact that he was happy to see that his manga seemed to have boosted the sales of the magazine a bit, it wasn't that much but it was still something. "We'll have the chapters come out bi-weekly for now until it becomes an easy task to get everything taken care of and after that we'll see about making it weekly." Asami explained as he lit up a cigarette watching as Takaba smiled at the piece of paper in his lap, it was a good thing to the older man to see the boy pleased with his own work.

From Takaba's house to Asami's company only took about twenty minutes to drive there. Takaba also realized in the last week that he was spending more time at Asami's office then he was at his own house, except for when he slept, this was due to the fact that Asami had given him his own room to work in where he wouldn't be bothered unless it was by the older man.

Asami felt more comfortable with the mangaka staying near by him, but to mention the fact that it seemed to help the other be able to draw more in a day without his friends coming to bother him.

The weather was doing a very good job of letting everyone know that it was drawing near to autumn, the air was still crisp, but it had a slight cold nip to it and the leaves were just starting to turn their slight golden brown, this meant for Takaba that he had to begin to wear some of his warmer, longer sleeved clothes first thing in the morning.

Takaba begin to get all of his sketches together as the limousine parked itself in the VIP spot right in front of the buildings entrance.

Kirishima came around the side of the limousine to open Asami's door and as usual Takaba stepped out before Kirishima had a chance to do the same for him, because he didn't like to have it done for him.

Takaba was getting ready to close the door of the limousine when a large guest of wind hit him and managed to knock his folder out of his hand causing some of his papers to be blown away.

"Hey!" Takaba shouted snatching what he could as a he few pieces of paper were blown out of his sight.

"Takaba!" Asami shouted trying to catch the boy before he began to chase after the fleeing pieces of paper.

"Would you like to go after him sir?" Kirishima offered watching his boss watch the retreating figure of the boy.

"No, don't bother." Asami replied as he turned around and began to head inside with Kirishima following behind him.

Takaba cursed realizing that his stray sketches had blown further away then he had expected them to, he managed to pick up three of them but looking through everything in his hands he knew that he was still missing a few more scenes then what he had found. Looking around he tried to see if he could locate the missing pieces of paper. Takaba knew that he could probably easily rewrite the scenes that blew away, but what irritated more was the fact that he hadn't kept a good grip on them.

Looking around for a few more minutes Takaba decided that he'd give up on trying to find them and began to return in the direction he come from that'd lead him back towards the company.

"Excuse me, might it be that you're looking for these?" Takaba turned around when he heard the soft elegant voice speak behind him. The sight of the beautiful man in front of him stunned Takaba, his long, black hair flowing past his shoulders. "Are these yours?" the man tried again showing Takaba the sketches in his hands, looking down at the sketches the man was showing Takaba was more then thrilled to see that they were his missing scenes.

"Yes, thank you very much!" Takaba thanked the man who gave him a soft smile.

"You're very welcome." Takaba caught the faint hint of an accent when the man spoke this time, the mangaka could already tell by the way the other man looked he was most certainly not Japanese, maybe Chinese? What caught Takaba's attention next with the glance he received from the stoic looking man that was following behind the other. Shaking his head Takaba turned around as he began to run in the direction of Asami's company realizing that he had spent quite a large amount of time trying to find his missing sketches.

Once inside Takaba approached Asami's office to let the older man know that he was back, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw that Kirishima was standing in front of the door, a sure fire sign that the older man was talking to someone important.

Takaba had learned in the week that he had stayed that there were certain signs to note when dealing with Asami. Takaba knew that if Asami was talking to someone it'd be safe for the mangaka to interrupt him if there was no one posted in front of his door, but if there happened to one of the older man's most trusted guards posted in front of his door it meant that you were to wait and not enter.

Takaba now knowing this sign just nodded his head to the guard who in return did the same. The mangaka then headed for his office, where he'd spend over the next hour trying to draw out as much as he could.

As it turned out the task of drawing was a rather difficult one for Takaba as his mind was filled with the image of the beautiful man he had met before, the mangaka wondered why such a man was wandering around the city with what he presumed to be his bodyguard. Something in the back of Takaba's mind clicked telling him it more then likely had something to do with Asami because as Takaba was slowly finding out everything always tied back to Asami one way or another. Shaking his head Takaba tried once again to concentrate at the task at hand, he needed to draw something, even if it was just a few pages, because knew that if he hadn't done anything new then Asami would start questioning him as to why he didn't have anything to show for the time he spent in the office.

"What do you mean by telling me that he came today?" Asami asked with narrowed eyes as he stared at the man sitting in front of him who was wringing his hands.

"I-I informed you this morning when I just found out the news myself. I-it'd seem a-as though he wanted to bump forward the meeting date." The man replied not able to make eye contact with Asami.

"Where is he right now?"

"Currently he should be checked into a hotel not that far from here." the man replied mopping his sweating brow with a handkerchief, Asami had a tendency to cause people to stress because of the pressure that he put on them. "I do expect though that he'll try to make contact with you very soon." The scowl on Asami's face caused the man to pale considerable and feel as though the cold breath of death had just blown over his face, Asami scowling was never a good thing, even if it wasn't directed at any in particular.

"You may leave." The man stared at Asami for a few seconds as he waited for his chest to calm down and the feeling as though his heart was going to exit through his throat to go away. Standing up the man bowed deeply to Asami before scurrying out of the room. "Kirishima." Asami didn't even have to raise his voice to get the guard to enter his room. "Is the boy back?"

"Yes, he returned not that long and is currently in his office." Kirishima replied. It took a certain amount of pressure off of Asami hearing that that boy had returned without a problem, now he just had to make sure it stayed that way, especially now that a certain someone had come, not that the older man thought this person would do something to the mangaka, but he felt that it was better to be safe then sorry.

Takaba groaned in frustration as he found he didn't have the focus to draw. He had managed five pages, but couldn't do well enough to draw anymore then this. Laying his face against the desk he sighed, he knew the story so well, yet he could hardly draw anything up for it. Takaba heard as the door opened, but he didn't bother lifting his head, as he already knew who it was going to be.

"Trouble already?" Asami asked as he stared at the boy whose face he couldn't see.

"What do you think?" Came back the muffled reply. Asami walked towards the desk and picked up one of the pages off of it, observing the freshly drawn work, noting the fact that it was lacking life in the way that it was drawn.

"It won't due." Asami told the other as he set the piece of paper back down.

"You think?" Takaba asked glaring at the older man as he lifted his head off the table.

"What causing you to have problems already?" Asami asked as he stared intently at the other, the look that Takaba knew meant the older man wasn't going to leave him alone until he got his answer.

"I'm just lacking motivation today." Takaba replied, he already knew that it was stupid to say this, but it was the best he could come up with, because he wasn't about ready to tell Asami that the reason why he couldn't draw anything at the moment was due to the fact that he meet a beautiful man when he was going after his sketches and for some strange reason he couldn't seem to get him out of his mind. Takaba knew he'd be in for hell, maybe not him exactly, but his body would be if he uttered words any where near to those due to the fact that the older man was so possessive of him that he'd more then likely get pissed off hearing this, and Takaba didn't want to get some innocent man in trouble because of him.

"If you need inspiration I'd be more then happy to give you some." Asami offered smirking softly at the boy whose glare deepened, despite the soft dust of pink on his cheeks.

"Don't you dare even think of attempting to do something like that again here at your office." Takaba hissed causing the older man more amusement.

"Who says it has to be done here?" Takaba didn't like that suggestive hint that was in Asami's voice, it meant bad things, very bad things that Takaba didn't feel up to dealing with at the moment.

"I can get my own inspiration very well, thank you very much. I warn you know that if you even think about trying to do anything to me I won't hesitate to leave this damn company and never return." Takaba growled. Asami's eyes narrowed slightly, his smirk still in place as he met the other's challenge.

"Despite the fact that I still have a certain tape in my possession?" Asami was slightly surprised when Takaba didn't falter when he brought up the video.

"Video be damned." Takaba huffed, he knew that at some point or other he was going to have to break away from the older regardless if the other still had the video or not, so he might as well do it sooner rather then later, especially before anything else could happen.

"And what video might this be, if I were so bold as to ask." Asami stiffened noticeable and Takaba looked around the older man to see who was speaking. Asami was more then displeased to hear the other's voice, while the mangaka was surprised to see the man on his mind once again standing before him.

"Feilong" Asami said the man's name a voice that was a mixture between a low growl and hiss.

"Asami Ryuuichi." The other replied with a small nod of his head as a sign of respect despite the fact that both knew he thought they were equals.

"What're you doing here?" Asami asked as Feilong stepped further into the office.

"Is it a problem if I can a little early for our meeting?" he asked turning to face Asami who was glaring at him.

"Yes." Asami replied, despite the fact that he knew the Chinese man already knew the answer to this.

"He Chinese?" the question caused both men to turn and look at Takaba who eyes were focused on Feilong who smiled softly at him, the same type of smile that he had given him before.

"So he must be the newly hired mangaka I heard you got your hands on."

"So what if he is?" Asami asked, pulling a cigarette out and lighting.

"He's rather young I must say, though he does seem to be rather talented from what I've seen." These words caused Asami to narrow his eyes and glance at Takaba who'd become noticeable uncomfortable. "Have you marked him yet?" Takaba blushed furiously at this question but turned away before either could notice the blush on his face.

"What is it to you if I have?" Asami asked not feeling very pleased with this question. Let there be no mistake, it wasn't that Asami hated or disliked Feilong, it was that he hated what the Chinese man tended to bring with him.

"Is it a problem for me to be curious?" Feilong asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"Yes." Asami replied curtly.

"Its no longer is any fun when you become sort tempered, I suppose then it'd be better to get this meeting over with before something does happen." Feilong sighed glancing back over at Takaba who was doing the same.

As soon as Takaba heard the word 'meeting' he already knew that he was no longer going to be welcome and that it was best for him to go out and get some fresh air, for he doubted the fact that he'd be able to stop himself from eavesdropping on what they were talking about.

"I'm heading out to get some fresh air." both pairs of eyes landed on the boy who was in the middle of standing up. Feilong stepped to the side slightly to allow the boy to pass by him.

"Yoh, follow." Feilong ordered his stoic bodyguard who'd been waiting outside of the room for him.

"What're you playing at?" Asami asked as Feilong watched his guard tail the boy but not at too close of a distance.

"I'm not playing at anything, though I know for a fact that there is someone else who is." Feilong replied turning to face Asami, a serious look on his face for the first time since he entered the room. "And I already believe you know who I'm talking, which is why I bumped up the day of the meeting ahead, to warn you before something got out of hand." Feilong explained as Asami watched him suspicious of what he had just said.

"What does he want this time?"

"I think that you should already know that." Feilong replied with a soft smile yet firm smile.


	6. Chapter 6

Takaba was more then well aware of the fact that he was being tailed by the stoic guard, who was surprisingly for Takaba to spot him despite the fact that he was obviously there to tail him, but Takaba could also tell that he was being followed by yet someone else who he didn't see.

Takaba decided though that for the time being he'd act normal and see what would happen, he wasn't quite certain which of the two men who were following him he could trust or if both weren't trustable.

Yoh knew that the boy could see him, but that's how he wanted it to be, if Feilong was correct in his assumption that someone was definitely moving in the direction of taking the boy then he wished to make it apparent to Takaba that he was there only to protect him rather then harm him.

It was few minutes later when Takaba decided to stop and stare the vehicles that were passing by, seeming to contemplate whether or not he wanted to go across to the other side. There was a sudden slow down in traffic and Takaba took the opportunity to bolt across to the other side. He knew that the one who was openly following him would be caught off guard by the sudden action, but he wasn't certain about the other but he figured that it'd at least give him a few seconds to try and lose him.

Yoh cursed the moment that Takaba did this, because he wasn't quick enough to react and stop the other. He knew for a fact that if anything ended up happening to the boy that it wouldn't be Feilong that he'd have to answer up to, but also Asami because that was who the boy belonged to. Yoh thankfully though only had to wait a short amount of time before he was able pass over after the boy.

Takaba was certain that he had lost whoever was following him by the time that he had headed down the third alley, he leaned over slightly as he stopped to catch his breath a bit, even that much running around was a bit much for him.

Just when he was getting ready to move someone grabbed him from behind and tried to pin his arms behind his back. Takaba gritted his teeth as he tried to struggle against said person but found the other was rather strong, swing his head back he managed to make contact with the person's face causing the person to take a step back as Takaba was released as he stumbled forward. Takaba turned around to face the person only to feel cold metal pressed against the back of his head causing him to freeze completely. Takaba had never before been put into a situation that involved him having a gun pointed at him.

The man who he'd hit was no longer dazed but rather not standing that far away from him glaring at him. Takaba being the stubborn person that he was returned the glare with twice the force, though his glare was quickly replaced with a confused look when the man behind him began to speak and he couldn't understand a word that he was saying. Takaba listened more carefully when the man in front of him began to speak and quickly realized that they sounded like they were speaking Cantonese making it impossible for him to understand a single word that was being said.

Takaba made a move to step forward thinking that both men must've been distracted but he didn't get that when he hardly moved and the gun was pressed harder against the back of his head in warning.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Takaba was aware of the fact that he'd more then likely not get an answer, but he still felt it better for him to ask then not.

He watched as the man in front of him pulled a cloth and small bottle out, Takaba didn't have to think twice to know what it and what exactly was going to be done with it, whoever the hell the two men were it was obvious they wanted to kidnap him. After the man had poured a small amount of the liquid on the cloth he returned the bottle to his pocket before beginning to move closer towards Takaba hand extended out to put the cloth over his face.

"So he's heard about Takaba and thinks that by stealing him away from here he'll be able to make the deals go in his favor?" Asami asked Feilong as they sat in his more private office with Souh guarding the door so they wouldn't be bothered.

"That's his plan, but he also wants half the land back that you took from him, he beginning to feel that he was cheated on in the deal that you two made." Feilong replied as he took a sip from the glass of whisky that was sitting in front of him. "Yan is the type of person who'll play dirty if he needs to, we both know that."

"I'm honestly surprised that you'd actually choose to take my side over his, he is your brother after all." Asami commented as he studied Feilong whose eyes narrowed some when the other side this.

"Firstly I don't care for my brother as we're not related fully by blood, secondly I have no business concerning what goes on with your underworld deals, but when it comes to regular business I benefit more from keeping you as an ally." Asami smirked slightly as Feilong's reasoning, the Chinese was corrected in what he had stated because Yan even knew for a fact that unless he play dirty there was no way possible for him to get at Asami because their power differences were too vast.

"If he's not pleased with the way things are currently then that is his own fault. When the deal was signed I complete list of everything that would happen on both sides, it was his own foolishness that got him into this situation. If he knew exactly how to use what he got from me then he'd be benefiting more now."

"The Baishe don't see it the same way, they believe that Yan's decision was flawed and that the land shouldn't have been giving up. Yan is under pressure to get the land back one way or another, otherwise blood will be spilling."

"And you want for me to get involved and stop that from happening?" Asami asked lighting up a cigarette, he wasn't quite certain what Feilong was hinting at, he just knew that there was something the other wanted for him.

"I don't expect you to do anything, I'm warning you because if Yan ends up being killed or a rebellion breaks out then it will obviously spread out to here and then it won't just be one or two bodies that'll be laying around." Feilong replied as he looked the other straight in the eyes.

"Its very kind of you to extend your concern to me, but you should know that if anything like that happens the whole situation will become isolated before things even reach over here. The smaller groups over there will more then likely become power hungry and a major dispute is more likely to start over in Hong Kong then over." "Asami replied as he searched through the paper work on his desk.

"If you don't protect that boy properly though then things will become even more out of hand." Asami stopped what he was doing and turned his attention back to Feilong. "Word travels quickly around and so do photos." Feilong told the other as he set a photo of Takaba down the desk. "Someone around here is pocketing information for money."

"A mole." Asami murmured as he looked down at the picture of the boy, he could easily tell by the scenery it was taken the morning the other had left the hotel; right after Asami had just hired him.

"More then likely, you should know then that it'd be much safer to keep him on a much shorter leash." Feilong replied just at the same time his phone began to ring, grabbing it out he stared a it listening to it ring for three times before it stopped. Feilong and Asami looked at each other, Asami was uncertain of that that was supposed to mean but Feilong knew hat it meant that there was some trouble. "It would seem as though he's making his mover much quicker then I first suspected, if you don't want to lose Takaba then it'd best if we moved now." Asami knew what the other meant by this and wasted no time in getting on his phone and calling for a few of his most trusted men to help in the protection of the boy, there was no way that Asami was going to allow anyone else to touch what was his.

There wasn't much Takaba could do to struggle the moment that the cloth went over his face because the gun was still pressed hard against the back of his head and he didn't dare to do anything that could make it go off. His mind was beginning to fog over and he felt his eyes slowly begin to close when two gun shots rang out and he felt as both the gun and cloth were moved. A thud followed by a scream was heard but the drug coursing through Takaba's system didn't allow for him to open his eyes to see what was going despite the fact that he felt himself begin to fall back, and more then likely would've have if someone hadn't caught him.

Yoh was rather thankful that he had found Takaba in time, if he had been any later then he knew that the other would've been taken. He hadn't intended to but he had to kill the man who was holding the gun against the mangaka's head otherwise there was a large chance he'd shot even if injured. The second man he just shot in the hand as a warning. The warning seemed to work rather well one look at Yoh had the man dashing down the alleyway as fast as he could. Yoh's quick reflexes kicked in and he managed to grab the boy before he hit the ground.

"Takaba-san?" an unfamiliar voice questioned as the mangaka fought to stay awake despite the drug induced sleep wanting to take a hold of him. The struggle only lasted for seconds more before he drifted into unconsciousness to the sound of his voice being called once again.

Yoh would've been more worried about Takaba if he hadn't know that the drug used on him was simply for the purpose of knocking him out and nothing else. Setting him down slowly Yoh then proceeded to pull his cell phone out to call Feilong and to give a report on what had happened.

Takaba woke up with a groan to the feeling as though a large brick had landed right on top of his head. Rolling onto his side he buried himself further into sheets as he kept his eyes tightly shut in hopes of being able to get a little more sleep. The mangaka found himself sitting straight up less then five minutes latter after remember what had happened just before he passed out, someone was trying to take him. Looking from side to side he recognized the place that he was to be a hotel room, a rather fancy hotel room. Looking around the room Takaba felt safe for the most part because there didn't appear to anyone else in the room. He did freeze though when he heard the door handle begin to twist signaling that someone was getting ready to come in.

Takaba relaxed someone when he found out that person was none other then Asami, who surprisingly was in dress shirt with only his suit pants on. His hand was slightly closed as he held a glass of water in it letting Takaba know that more then likely there were pills in said hand, pills that would help to take away the horrible throbbing of his headache.

"How're you feeling?" Asami asked after closing the door and making his way over to Takaba.

"My head feels like someone landed a ten ton break on it." Takaba replied as he took the glass and pills, giving Asami a thankful look before taking pills and down the whole glass of water.

"That's to be expected, you were drugged after all." Asami replied as he sat near the bottom of the bed, causing Takaba to feel slightly uncomfortable in his current position.

There was complete silence for a few minutes as the two just stared at each other before Takaba decided to speak.

"So what exactly happened after I blacked out?" Takaba asked causing Asami to stare at him contemplatively.

"What do you remember last?" Asami asked as he pulled the box of cigarettes out of his pocket and prepared to light one up causing Takaba to wrinkle his nose at the smell.

"I vaguely remember hearing what sounded like a gun being shot followed by a thud and then someone calling my name." Takaba replied as he tried his hardest to remember what he could, but the drug had done a good job of making his mind blank.

"It was Feilong's guard Yoh that had saved you back there." Asami explained, watching as the mangaka nodded his head, taking in the information that he was given.

"Why were they trying to kidnap me in the first place?" Takaba then asked causing Asami's expression to become more of a colder one, causing a chill to go down the other's spine.

"That isn't important for you to know." Came the cold reply from Asami, "The only thing that you need to know is that you should be more careful from now on and expect to have protection at all times." Takaba narrowed his eyes in frustration at the situation.

"Why do I have to agree to something like that without knowing the reasoning behind it first?" Takaba didn't like the idea of being followed and he liked it even less so when he wasn't being told about the entire situation.

"Unless you want to end up in a similar situation like today or worse, then you'd accept the protection. Regardless of what your decision is you'll still be being followed." Asami explained as he stood up when a knock sounded at the door letting him know that someone wanted to bother him. "I'll be gone for a while, rest more till I come back." Takaba watched as Asami opened and glanced back at him once more before closing the door behind him. Takaba laid down flat on the bed with a sigh as the back of his head rested against his arms, there was obviously something major going on that Asami wasn't telling him about, something that seeing as it concerned him Takaba felt he had a right know about. Being the snoop that he was the mangaka figured that he could it out one way or another on his own without the older man having to know anything about it.


	7. Chapter 7

Yoh lead Asami in the direction of the room that Feilong was waiting for the other in, he made sure to stay exactly five steps ahead of Asami so as not to be so close to him.

Asami was not that pleased to have been bothered seeing as Takaba had just woken up, but he knew that the matter he and Feilong were going to talk about was something very important so there wasn't much that he could due in order to put it off. Yoh opened the door for him and bowed before stepping back to allow for him to enter first before shutting the door and following in behind him to stand behind Feilong.

"How is he doing?" Feilong asked the moment that Asami entered the room.

"Besides a headache he seems to be doing fine." Asami replied as he loosened his tie and sat down in a chair opposite of Feilong. Picking up the glass of whisky that was seat on the table near his chair he took a sip of it before turning his full attention to Feilong. "It appears as though things are moving much quicker then expected." Asami commented as Feilong gave a short nod of his head.

"Brother is not one to waste time, he prefers to execute his plans in as little time as possible." Feilong replied as he handed Asami a folder. "It would cause me quiet a few problems if my brother ever found out that I took this from him, but I think that this might prove as some kind of assistance to you, it isn't something that I was planning on giving to you so soon as I wasn't certain when he was planning on making his move." Feilong explained as Asami light up a cigarette before taking the folder and opening it up to look at the content. A light smirk appeared on Asami's face when he scanned through the contents of the folder. The entire folder contained deals that Yan had been doing in Japan behind Asami's back, all of which Asami could easily use to blackmail the other if he so desired to.

"It would seem that he is more crafty then I originally thought." Asami commented as he continued to scan over the contents of the folder, Yan had been clever enough to make sure that the deals he did were done either on the border of Asami's territory or next to it in order to make sure that word of them wouldn't reach Asami, what Yan did realize though was the fact that though quite a few of the smaller groups wouldn't admit to this, all of the territory in the Tokyo area basically belonged to Asami, not to mention quite a bit of the land outside of it.

"Yan doesn't honestly believe that I have any idea of exactly what he is doing, of course he knows very well that I'm involved in you in a business sense, but he doesn't honestly believe I really understand exactly what is going on between the two of you." Feilong explained as he beckoned for Yoh to hand his pipe, the other did as he was asked and also light it for him before moving back again.

"Keeping things that way allows for a great advantage for both of us." Asami conceded watching as Feilong frowned some as he puffed the smoke out from his pipe.

"I see it only as something that mainly benefits you, on the other hand for me, if I keep helping you it'll only end up landing me in trouble if my brother ever found out that everything that was going wrong for him happened to be my fault."

"Then stop helping." Asami stated this as though it was a very simple matter, but by the look on Feilong's face it seemed that it was more complicated then it appeared.

"I am more then certain that if I even think about not giving you information you'd more then likely cut all deal ties with me, despite the fact that the entire situation is rather unfavorable for me, I'd prefer to stay in some sort of business."

"Me cutting all ties with you would depend solely on what happened after you stopped. If things don't change, then there isn't any real reason for me to stop my business with you, but if it so happened that things became much worse for me, then I would have no reason to associate myself with you anymore." Feilong couldn't expect anything less coming from Asami, as the other always made sure that no matter what happened he would get the main benefit out of any deal that was going on.

"It honestly surprises me though to see that you might actually have some kind of heart for that young mangaka."

"You mean Takaba?" Asami clarified with his eyes slightly narrowed as Feilong nodded his head.

"You have never really seemed to get that close to anyone before, you always make sure that there is a good distance between you and others and that whoever you're involved with understands that their position is lowers then yours and their insignificant if they so much as think of defying you. With Takaba though I am not feeling that the same sort of situation is going on, you seem much more lenient with him."

"The boy needs space if his talent is to grow." Asami explained as he stared down at the table with his eyes slightly closed, as much as he didn't really want to admit it, he knew that to a certain point what Asami was thinking correct, the boy did indeed feel different to him, but he wasn't yet certain what kind of different the boy made him feel.

"You should honestly think about making your move soon though, unless you want to lose him, he doesn't appear to be the type of person who stays in one place for very long before moving again."

"He will learn soon enough that as long as he works for me, he isn't free to just go wherever he wants to." Asami assured Feilong as the other stared directly at him, as though trying to analyze something about him. Feilong got ready to open his mouth to say something else when the door to their room suddenly burst open and Takaba tripped inside, seemingly surprised by the strength that he had used to force the door open. Souh entered the room seconds after Takaba and tried to grab a hold of the mangaka as the other struggled as much as could against the grip on his arms.

"Let me go you bastard! There's something important that I want to talk with him about!" Takaba snapped as he struggled harder.

"Let him go." Asami ordered with a motion of his hand, Souh didn't hesitate to follow the older and stepped back once he had released the boy who appeared to be seriously seething about something that that the guard wasn't certain about. "Takaba, didn't I tell you to wait in the room for the time being?" Asami questioned, his voice holding a slightly annoyed tone to as he glared at the boy who challenged his look as he stared Asami straight in the eyes.

"To hell with waiting in my room!" Takaba snapped back as he took a step forward. "I already told you that I want to know exactly what the hell is going on and why the hell I'm involved with it." A light smile graced Feilong's lips as he watched Takaba, amused to see such confidence coming from the boy as he faced Asami who was well known for being able to be a devil when the situation called for it. Either Takaba didn't know fully about who Asami was or he didn't fear Asami despite know who he was and what exactly he did.

"I already explained to you that you don't have to worry about what's going on, you'll be issued a bodyguard and that is all you need to know about." Asami told him in a dismissive manner as he grabbed out another cigarette and light before turning his attention to the boy who hadn't budged an inch. "Go back to your room now, we'll be staying here for the night and when tomorrow morning comes I'll take you back to your house so that you can continue working in a more comfortable area."

"I already explained to you that I want to know exactly what is going on here, there's no way I'm budging before my questions are answered." Takaba repeated as he crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant manner, his gaze not shifting from Asami despite the fact that the other was losing his temper more with each passing second. Feilong couldn't stop himself from chuckling and catching the attention of Takaba, this action though caused Asami to feel more irritated.

"Come now Asami, it wouldn't hurt that much to let the boy in on what's going on, after all he'd have found everything had he been kidnapped." Asami turned his attention to Feilong who was looking at Takaba who was staring at him in a slightly confused way.

"His job is to simply be a mangaka, he would gain no benefit by coming to know a world such as this one." Asami retorted.

"That maybe true, but it seems as though the boy is very stubborn and doesn't seem to be willing to leave until he finds out what he wants, at least oblige him for the time being, its obvious that no harm will come from him finding out more then he already does." Feilong found it very amusing they way that Asami was dealing with the boy, for normal about now Asami would've lost his temper and pulled his gun out for someone being this stubborn and if he hadn't shot the person right away he'd either threaten them by gun point to go and shot directly behind them to show that he was serious about hitting them if they didn't do as he said. Asami was silent for quite a while as he stared at Takaba who's gaze didn't seem to waver once as they stayed locked looking at each other. Asami knew very well that Takaba would more then likely not leave on his own unless he got what he wanted, but Asami wasn't someone to bow so easily and give into such a small demand. Feilong smirked as he watched Asami's face, despite the fact that the other was showing no emotions on his face, Feilong could easily read what was going through his mind and knew exactly what was going to happen next. Feilong did feel bad for Takaba though because the mangaka didn't seem to know what was going through Asami's mind or at least the expression on his face didn't show that he did. Standing up, Asami approached Takaba with slow strides, each speaking of the power that held and could use on the mangaka if he wanted to, it was easy to tell if one looked closely that Takaba was slightly intimidated by Asami approaching him, but he refused to budge from his position even when the other came to stand directly in front of him. They locked eyes for a few brief seconds before Asami leaned down and captured Takaba's lips in a heated kiss. Takaba put his hands on Asami's suit to push him away, but fisted the expensive material instead, as he reacted to the kiss and deepened it by allowing Asami to slip his tongue into his mouth. Feilong took offense to the fact that both males seemed to forget about his presence, as they seemed completely absorbed in each other. The kiss was broken a minute later when Takaba need to regain lost breath, a pink hue was noticeable on his face as he looked up at Asami with eyes tint lightly with lust. Takaba was about to remove his hands from Asami's suit when he noticed that he had caused the other's shirt to become wrinkled by how tight he had held it, but before he got that far Asami picked him up bridal style, catching off guard and causing him to take tighter hold of the other. Takaba didn't protest at first as confusion struck him when Asami bumped the door with his shoulder causing it to open, Takaba knew for a fact that the door had been closed tightly when he had entered it, but when had Asami reopened it.

"Put me down." Takaba protested once he was over the initial shock of the situation that he found himself in as Asami carried him down the hall showing no sign that he was going to let the other go.

The room that Takaba was originally in was only five doors down from the one that Feilong and Asami were talking in so the walk was a rather short one. Takaba would've squirmed if he had more time and felt up to fighting, but he knew by the look on Asami's face that he'd have no problem dropping the mangaka if the other struggled too much.

The door to the room was opened and Asami stepped into the room, Takaba was deposited rather roughly on the bed and before he had a chance to react Asami was on top of him. Asami easily pinned the other's wrists to his sides and stared at the boy with such an intense look he could see that Takaba wanted to back away from him. Asami respected Takaba's confidence and stubbornness, but it still came to a point that Takaba needed to learn boundaries, though at the moment Asami didn't have the time to teach them to the boy. Takaba wasn't certain what to expect from the man hovering above him, but he knew that now wasn't the time to speak out or struggle much without having to worry about making his situation that much worse.

After what felt like an eternity of staring at each other Asami finally stood up and began to walk back towards the door, leaving a stunned Takaba lying on the bed.

"Maybe this time you'll listen and stay put." Asami glanced back to see Takaba sitting up slowly, watching the other for a few seconds Asami left the room and made sure to lock it once he was outside. The sound of the lock clicking was what brought Takaba out of his daze and caused him to curse under his breath, knowing that he was now locked in the room without a way to get out.

"That bastard." Takaba sighed as he flopped back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. There were now two options left for Takaba to do, one was to draw, the other was try and get more sleep. Neither option seemed that enjoyable to him, but he knew he'd go for sleeping because his mind was in no state to try and draw in, not after everything that had just happened. Before falling asleep the last thing on Takaba's mind was the charming yet seemingly dangerous and clever Feilong, Takaba wonder what type of ties he had to Asami.


	8. Chapter 8

Takaba was trying his hardest not to appear uncomfortable nor look behind himself too often, but it was a rather difficult task especially considering the person that was following behind him didn't seem to have the intention of leaving him alone anytime soon.

He did have to give credit to Feilong though for breaking him out of that locked room first thing in the morning, without Asami interfering. It did bother him though that when he asked Feilong about Asami, he simply told him that he wouldn't be bothering the two of them for a while, but it was still safe for Takaba to leave. The biggest thing that bothered Takaba was the way that Feilong was following behind him, he seemed to be doing it in a very casual and calm way, but the look in his eyes let Takaba know that he was planning something.

Takaba finally decided to take a stop after he crossed the street, and Feilong still followed after him.

"Why is it that you keep following?" Takaba asked, turning to face Feilong when they had reached someplace that was a little less crowded. "I do thank you and all for helping me to get out of there."

"How about you properly thank me by allowing us to eat breakfast together and talk some?" Feilong asked, moving closer to Takaba, causing the other to feel a need to take a step back. Takaba didn't really have any personal reason to deny Feilong's request, but he wasn't certain how Asami would take to the two of them eating. The two of them did seem to be business partners, but it seemed that Asami kept up a strong barrier between the two of them, making it easy to tell that one wrong thing could break up any of the deals that they had.

"I don't know if Asami would like something like that happening between us." Takaba replied causing Feilong to chuckle softly.

"Didn't I already tell you earlier that you don't have to worry about him? Besides I'm more then certain that he won't mind the two of us getting to know each other better, especially since we'll be getting to see each other a lot if you keep working for Asami." Takaba was rather hesitant about this idea, Feilong didn't seem like he was much of a threat to him, but he hardly knew the other or what his intention were or could've been, Takaba just knew that he had come there for a business deal with Asami.

"You come across as rather hesitant, is it that I scare you?" Takaba took a step back when he was started by the fact that Feilong was suddenly in his face.

"It's not like that." Takaba quickly explained waving his hands in front of himself causing Feilong to chuckle by how he had defended himself. Takaba looked down and sighed slightly before looking back at Feilong. "I suppose that if Asami doesn't have a problem with it we can share breakfast together."

"Do you mean Chinese food?" Feilong questioned as he held out his hand for Takaba to take. Takaba stared at the hand for a few moments before placing his hesitantly in the others.

"There's no food that I'm really partial to." Takaba replied as he followed Feilong in the direction that he was heading.

"That's good, because there is a Chinese restaurant around here that I always enjoy visiting whenever I come here, the food is always very good there." Feilong explained as Takaba only half listened to what the other was saying when he realized that he and Feilong were getting quite a few stares, mainly due to the fact that the two of them were holding hands. Feilong surprisingly didn't seem that bothered by this fact and ignored the people around them, despite the fact that Takaba was starting to feel rather hot in the face from the attention that they were receiving.

Takaba's jaw dropped when they were standing in front of the Chinese restaurant, it was a very, very classy looking and Takaba was certain that it must've cost a fortune to eat at the place, glancing at Feilong Takaba watched as the other smiled at him before leading him into the restaurant. Takaba knew right then and there that Feilong must've been fucking rich to eat at such a place. He had noticed the fact that Feilong had held himself in a very high-class manner, but wasn't one to judge people without seeing solid proof of what he thought.

Takaba bit his bottom lip as he sat at the table staring at everything around him and Feilong, he was beginning to feel very out of place in such a high class looking place, because he most certainly looked anything but high-class. Takaba couldn't refrain from consistently shifting his feet around under the table and this caught Feilong's attention who noticed how nervous he was and smiled at him seconds before the waiter appeared with their menus. Takaba was thankful to have at least something small to distract him for a few seconds.

"Please feel free to order whatever you want." Feilong told Takaba whose face was already being drained of its color as he looked over the menu and saw exactly how expensive everything was. Glancing over at Feilong from the top of his menu, Takaba took note of the fact that there other didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by how expensive everything was, which just proved more the fact that he was more then likely very rich.

The waiter came back mere seconds after Takaba had settled on exactly what it was that he wanted to eat. Once the waiter had left with the menus, Takaba was once again left with nothing to do except for to sit feeling very uncomfortable as he looked all around.

"Please relax, despite the high-class of this restaurant, it caters to all sorts of customers so there isn't any reason for you to feel uncomfortable." Feilong assured Takaba causing the other to give him a halfhearted smile as he placed his hands on his knees and tried to force himself to sit still and hold out until the food came.

It was until the waiter had come back with their orders and Takaba was practically drooling over how good the food looked that Feilong decided to start asking the questions that he was curious about.

"So what exactly was it that made you choose to work for Asami?" Takaba looked back up at Feilong, stopping himself, as he was just getting ready to take his first bite.

"It just happened that his place was one of the first offers I was sent and because the pay seemed good I just checked it out." Takaba explained before taking his first bite. The first bite was ten times better then he had expected, if it wasn't for the fact that he felt that he needed to keep his good manners around Feilong he would've shoveled the food down his throat as fast as he could, because it was that good.

"So you didn't know a single thing about Asami before the point that you went there?"

Takaba shook his head in response, as his mouth was full.

"I just thought that it was a typical offer from a publishing company." Takaba replied once his mouth was empty.

"It would appear as though you don't seem to fear him that much though." Feilong commented causing Takaba to stare at him.

"I kind of understand what he does, but is there a reason why I should fear him." Feilong couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on his lips when Takaba asked this question.

"Asami is the type of person that could kill someone without thinking twice about it. Most refer to him as ruthless and cold, even as devil sometimes. His working as the head of a publishing company is just a cover for what he really does." Takaba didn't really think that Asami was THAT bad, he did come across as harsh sometimes, but for the most part he was manageable.

The questioning ended after this and the two of them ate the rest of their meal in silence.

"Waiter, one bottle of sherry please." Feilong called out once they had finished eating. Takaba was planning on leaving now that he was done as he was certain that Asami would be awake by now and probably wondering where was at.

"I'm not certain that I should already be drinking this early in the morning." Takaba commented as he watched Feilong start to pour the sherry into the glasses that had been placed on the table with the bottle.

"A small amount won't hurt," Feilong replied as he placed the glass in front of Takaba, after having filled it halfway, "Besides the alcohol content isn't that particularly high." Takaba stared down at the glass for a few seconds before lifting it up and taking a small sip of it before. He knew that the sherry would more then likely taste very good since it came from such a high quality restaurant, but the flavor was even better then he had anticipated it to be. "It's good isn't it?" Feilong asked with small smile as he watched Takaba take another sip from his glass.

"I've drank sherry before, but none that has ever been this good." Takaba replied as he set his glass down, watching as Feilong had slowly begun to sip from his glass.

"Is it really okay though to allow for you pay for all of this?" Takaba asked after they had finished the bottle of sherry and Feilong had called for the tab from the waiter.

"It's no problem, after all I was the one who wanted to treat you. Since it will take me a bit longer today, you can stand outside and for me if you want." Takaba gave a short nod of his head to Feilong before leaving the restaurant to wait outside for the other. It was definitely much more comfortable for him to stand outside rather then inside of the restaurant because he felt that he could breath better. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he looked at it to see that he hadn't received any phone class yet, he was certain that since it was later morning that Asami would've called him by now to find out where exactly he was, but there hadn't been anything. Leaning against the side of the building Takaba closed his eyes when they started feeling slightly heavy, he wasn't certain why but he was suddenly feeling the strong urge to fall asleep, despite the fact that he was trying not to since he was still waiting for Feilong to come back. He just tried to keep telling himself that it would only be a few seconds longer that he would have to wait.

Asami was more slightly pissed about what had happened, Feilong had pulled a very cleaver trick on him, and what was worse was that he had actually fallen for it. Running his hand through his hair he sat on the bed that Takaba had been occupying the night before, but the boy was no longer here.

Asami know that something was up when he reentered the room after dropping Takaba off and Feilong was sitting there waiting for him with both of their glass refilled. Asami hadn't expected Feilong to drug his drink, at least he hadn't detected anything suspicious about the other, nor had he expected to leave with the boy. Asami had already called for Souh and Kirishima to start looking for the two of them because Feilong wasn't answering any calls and he had yet to call the boy, knowing more then likely that if something was up he wouldn't answer anyway.

Just was standing up and getting ready to leave the room his cell phone started ringing. Not even bother to check and see who was calling he pressed the answer button and put it up against his ear.

"Asami?" Takaba asked with a slight amount on uncertainty as he sat in the plane sit next to Feilong who was watching him with an amused glint in his eyes and a smirk on his face.

"Where are you at?" came back the sharp question causing Takaba to almost flinch. Glancing over at Feilong, Takaba looked around himself before answering.

"I'm on a plane." Takaba felt very uncomfortable in the silence that followed after he said this.

"Where is Feilong?" Takaba looked over at Feilong who must've know what Asami had asked because he shook his head.

"I'm not certain where exactly he is right now." Takaba flinched and bent his head down some when the screeching of the plane coming close to landing happened. Feilong look the phone from Takaba's hands and closed it before placing it back on the other's lap as they waited for the plane to land.


	9. Chapter 9

Asami could tell right away that the problem at hand was caused by Feilong, his reason for taking Takaba Asami couldn't be certain of, but the other must've had some sort of plan.

Asami already knew where Feilong would've taken Takaba without having to think twice about it so all he had to do was call Kirishima and tell him to make plans to get a flight ready to go to Hong Kong in the next two days. Asami wouldn't hesitate a second to shed blood if he found out that at the last second Feilong had decided to betray him despite the fact that that was very unlike the other to do such a thing.

"What exactly are you planning Feilong?"

Takaba wasn't certain what to make of his current position as he was forced to follow along behind Feilong as they descended from the plane that had finally landed wherever it was that they were at. Takaba wasn't quite certain where he had been taken to, he just knew by the looks of things that he was no longer in Japan.

Once inside of the airport Takaba got a firmer idea of where they were at when three men approached Feilong and stared speaking in Cantonese to him, leaving Takaba to wonder what they were talking about, as they'd occasionally glance away from Feilong for a second to stare at him.

Since Takaba couldn't understand what they were saying and it seemed that they were going to be talking for quite sometime from the stance that Feilong took as the conversation continued on Takaba tuned them out and started looking around the airport to see if he could see anything that'd let know exactly where they were at. Cantonese had right away made him think that they were in Hong Kong, but as he couldn't quite be certain and because he didn't recognize the writing that was written everywhere in the airport on the signs and board Takaba couldn't be so certain.

"Are you ready to go Takaba?" Hearing his voice redirected Takaba's attention back to Feilong who was looking at him. Glancing slightly to the side of the other Takaba nodded his head when he saw that the three men were still standing there, except for now they were paying more attention to him.

Once outside of the airport, Takaba felt slightly more comfortable as the area was rather large and there weren't a lot of people around. He didn't get much of a chance to look around though because a car was parked not that far away from the airport that was waiting for them. Feilong was the first one to get into the car as Takaba was lead around to the other side of the vehicle and had the door opened for him so that he could enter it.

Mere seconds after they had entered the car and it had stared driving off Feilong's phone started ringing and he answered it right away. Since he wasn't going to get any answers from the other about exactly where they were at Takaba decided to stare out the window of the car and look at all the scenery they were passing by. Despite the fact that they seemed pretty far inland Takaba could still see the shimmering water of what he believed to the ocean, giving him a good idea that wherever they were at was a rather small place.

Takaba's attention was drawn back to Feilong when he heard the other's tone suddenly change to a rather irritated one; he also had a very intense look on his face. Whoever he was talking was obviously someone that he didn't get a long with that much was obvious. Takaba didn't stare for much longer before he went back to looking out the window.

"Do you like what you see so far?" Feilong asked after snapping his cell phone shut and putting it back in his pocket.

"Yeah." Takaba replied, glancing back at the other who seemed to have relaxed again, "But where exactly are we supposed to be?"

"Hong Kong." Feilong replied with a smile. "This is where I live and spend most of my time at." Well at least Takaba was right in thinking that that is where they were.

"And why exactly did you bring me here?" Takaba asked now turning to fully look at Feilong who had just pulled out his pipe and had begun to light it.

"That is something that is to be a secret for the time being." Feilong replied while releasing the first puff of smoke that he inhaled. Feilong was interested in seeing exactly how long it was going to take Asami to make his way to Hong Kong to rescue the mangaka he had in his current possession.

The car came to a stop minutes later in front of a very large building that caused Takaba to gape. As before the doors were open for the two of them before they stepped down.

Takaba followed closely behind Feilong as they walked towards the entrance of the building where Yoh was standing.

"Did things go well?" Feilong asked as they entered the building with Yoh following closely behind them.

"Yes, though Tao is very impatient to see you." Yoh replied causing Feilong to chuckle when he heard this.

"He will have to wait a short while longer till Takaba has been settled in before I can go to see him." Feilong replied.

The halls that they were walking down were large and long and held doors on both sides of them. Surprisingly for all of the space that Takaba saw they hardly passed by any people. Towards the end of the hall was when Feilong stopped and opened up a door for them to enter.

Takaba was expecting for it to be a room that they entered, but it instead he found that it was what appeared to be a rather large lobby.

"Now Takaba, while you're here it'd be safer if you didn't move around too much without I or Yoh following you." Feilong's words caused Takaba to give him a questioning look. "This is a rather safe place for you to say, but staying here is also dangerous depending on exactly who you bump into and meet." Feilong explained as he headed towards the other side of the room to where a desk was positioned that had a small buzzer on it. Pressing the buzzer Feilong stood there. "I am calling someone who'll be looking after you while you stay in this area. He can come across as troublesome sometimes, but he's reliable." Feilong had hardly finished speaking when a well-built man with blond hair came from a door opposite of the one that they had entered. One look let Takaba know that the man wasn't Chinese or Japanese, but looked like he might've been Russian.

"What a pleasant surprise for you to be calling not long after having returned." The man spoke in good Japanese but with a very thick accent.

"Don't let it get to your head Mikhail." Feilong warned as the Russian grinned at him.

"And who might this be that you brought with you, someone new that you intend to employ?" Mikhail questioned as he stepped around Feilong to get a better look at Takaba who instinctively took a step back when the other approached. "A shy one is he?"

"He's not that shy at all." Feilong replied as he approached the two of them. "You have a tendency to startle people with how intimate you are. Secondly he's not here to work, he's staying here as a guest for the time being, a very important guest at that."

"I see, then I will be certain not to cause too many problems with him then. So what exactly is the reason that you called for me?"

"I need you to take care of him for the time being. I have something I need to do, but I most importantly want you to change his looks, also make sure to come up with an alternate name for him, make him related to you if you have to, but be certain not to let my brother find out about him."

"Brother?" Takaba questioned looking over at Feilong.

"He's not someone you have to worry about, other then knowing that you should avoid him and never speak with him alone." Feilong replied before heading back towards the door that they had entered through.

"If you'd be so kind as to follow me, I'll be more then happy to take care of you." Mikhail said as he held the door open for Takaba that the Russian had just come through. Takaba didn't really want to follow this man as he didn't really know him, but he seemed harmless enough and Feilong seemed to trust so he guessed that he had no other choice, but follow after him.

Feilong went through the documents that he had asked Yoh to give him as they walked down the hall. His intentions were to go and see Tao, but knew that before that that he'd have to go and greet his brother now that he had returned. This wasn't something that Feilong looked forward to doing, but rather something that he had to do because of his brother temperament. Feilong dismissed Yoh once he was standing in front of the door to the room where knew that his brother was.

"Come in." Came the short reply from inside of the room. Feilong sighed before entering and closing the door behind.


	10. Chapter 10

Feilong felt no fear for his brother who was sitting behind his desk, staring at him with hard cold eyes. They may have been half brothers, but Feilong preferred to think of them as not related at all, it made it easier for him to deal with the other.

"Well?" His older brother asked with a raise on eyebrow, his attention not turning away from his younger half brother for a second.

"My business with Asami went as it always does, he is a very good at making sure both sides get equal benefit, that is if one pays good enough attention." Feilong made this comment a dig towards his brother and the other seemed to notice this as his eyes narrowed some.

"Are you saying I don't do a good enough job of watching my deal with Asami, are you saying that is the reason why I'm in my current position?" Yan asked, anger seeping into his voice as his younger stared him down.

"I just simply believe that you don't have the right to blame Asami for something that is clearly your fault." Feilong replied, keeping his tone respectful and low, Feilong didn't back down when his brother stood up and took purposely steps towards him, he just continued speaking. "Asami offered everything up to you at the front and then told you what he wanted back for it, obviously if you had paid close enough attention you'd have seen it wasn't going to be something that you wanted, thus making it your fault." Feilong didn't flinch or move in any way when his brother's hand made contact with his face, the other was seething with anger now.

"It was obvious that he was trying to take advantage of me by making me believe what I was getting was more then what I gave in return for it, yet you still take his side?"

"I'm not taking any sides, I'm just stating facts." Feilong replied as his brother's glare towards him intensified.

"I believe that it would be better if you cut all deals with him now." Yan stated stepping to the side as Feilong watched him.

"Why do I have to stop my deals with him when the business I do with him is quite different from the business that you do with him, or two words aren't even tied."

"That isn't the point." Yan replied as he turned to face Feilong again. "What the point is that he is obvious trying to take advantage of the both of us, you for the fact that you're my younger half brother, and then I because I rule Hong Kong, obviously he must think that he can gain control of this area by trickery." Feilong couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes at his brother's thinking, for it was obviously very wrong in more then one way, but telling him this was the hard part. Asami did things by anything but trickery, because he had enough power and men to get him anything that he wanted that he never need to stoop that low. Secondly in Feilong's mind Asami had been rather generous to the both of them despite the way that Yan acted towards the Japanese Yakuza, Asami had some how managed to be patient and hadn't killed either of them yet.

"I only came here to let you know that I returned safely so I will be excusing myself before we get into a serious fight and my work here gets put off even further." Feilong told his brother as he turned around to face the door, as he got ready to leave. Yan just watched his younger brother leave as the door clicked shut behind him.

Takaba couldn't believe that he was looking at himself in the mirror that he was standing in front of, Mikhail was standing behind and looking rather proud of the job that he had done, the mangaka made for a very good Russian. The mangaka made for a very good Russian, though his frame was a bit thinner.

Takaba was starting to feel like he was having an identity crisis as he ran his hand through his now blond hair while staring at his blue eyes, he most certainly didn't looked like Takaba Akihito anymore, hell, he didn't even look Japanese anymore!

"Do you like what you see?" Mikhail asked as he watched Takaba continually looking himself over in the mirror.

"Its strange." Takaba replied, turning away to look at Mikhail who was standing there smiling at him. Takaba had originally been afraid that the Russian would hurt him because of how he looked and not to mention because of how large his hands were. Surprisingly though Mikhail had been very gentle with him and his hands despite being rough did their work carefully.

"It'll take a while to get used to." Mikhail replied as he scanned Takaba over a second time for himself in order to make sure that he didn't mess up an important details with the mangaka that might make Yan question who he really was. "You'll need to be careful when it comes to washing your hair, don't rub too hard otherwise it will fade and start returning to its original color, also if you need to ever take the contacts out for any reason just come to me." Takaba nodded his head when Mikhail told him this, glancing at himself in the mirror once more before the sound of the small bell on the desk dinging reached their ears, more then likely signaling that Feilong was back. "Now to show you off to him." Mikhail grinned as he stepped behind Takaba and gave the boy a soft shove forward so that he was going first while the Russian walked behind him.

Feilong seemed rather surprised as he looked at Takaba who seemed almost unrecognizable from the work that had been done to him. Takaba almost took a step back when Feilong got into his face to get him a closer inspection.

"The job is done very well." Feilong commented as he carefully looked over Takaba's face, especially his eyes to see that there wasn't much resemblance left to how he used to look.

"I already warned him that he'd need to be careful when it comes to washing his hair." Mikhail explained as Feilong glanced over at him.

"He'll also need to be careful when it comes to talking a lot and make sure not to speak much Japanese, we don't need him getting found out in that way either."

"Why do I need to worry about speaking too much if I look like this." Takaba asked, gesturing at his appearance.

"Yan, my brother is person who's not so quick to trust and suspects anything of not being what it seems. If you speak too much Japanese and speak it well since you don't know any Cantonese then he'll more then likely suspect that something is off." Feilong explained. "If my brother were to found out who you really were then things could become very bad, not only would it cause problems for me, but it would also cause problems for Asami if were to get caught."

"So what am I supposed to do then?" Takaba asked, beginning to feel very uneasy after hearing this news.

"As long as you're in my quarters then you're safe to speak Japanese all you like because my brother won't be able to hear you, but when you're not with me then you're to stick close to Mikhail and as much as possible not speak single word unless you need to." Feilong replied as Takaba nodded his head in understand. "For the time being I'll take you with my to my room because there is some one there who's waiting to see me." Feilong told Takaba as he beckoned for the other to follow him.

The sound of a gun going off echoed through the room as Asami made a direct hit on the target against the wall, checking to make sure that his gun was working well. Souh and Kirishima were standing on either side of him as he slipped the gun onto the holster placed inside of his suit. He wasn't planning on needing to kill anyone on this small trip but he always preferred to be prepared. Asami had already decided that he'd take only five men with him, leaving Souh behind to manage the work while he was gone and taking Kirishima with him because he was good when it came to negotiating deals.

Kirishima preferred to stay near Asami when he was in this type of mood because he knew that it didn't take much to make him snap, it had been a while since Asami had been this bad, but Kirishima was hoping that rather then being a bad sign this was actually a good one.


	11. Chapter 11

The room was unbearable stuffy and quiet as Asami sat at his desk facing his latest client, in shady business deals that was. The man seemed rather nervous as he faced Asami who was hardly moving as he worked on draining his sixth glass of Whisky since the meeting had started, his eyes never moved from the man as he seemed to be considering something deeply, something even Kirishima couldn't guess. The silence was lasting for so long that Kirishima had just adjusted his glasses and was getting ready to clear his throat to signal to his boss to speak.

"And what is this deal that you think you can entice me with?" Asami asked as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and began to light it, watching as the man in front of him shifted nervously again.

"Ahh, well- you see-" the man fumbled over his words as Asami's eyes narrowed at him, "I won't ask much money for it," the man stated right away watching as Asami's eyes signaled for him to continue as he pulled out a small map and pointed out a location to Asami. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in buying this lot here." With careful movements Asami brought the small map closer to himself so that he could get a better look at what the other was trying to sell to him, he wasn't in much of a mood to be cheated out so he was being extra careful with his work, which sadly meant that for quite a few other people their deals were suffering because Asami was turning them down left and right because he didn't have the time nor energy to deal with them. He didn't turn all of them down of course, he set himself about the task of dealing with six deals and a day and no more, those who really wanted to speak with him had to wait till the next day, and those who were impatient to see him- Let's just say that it didn't end that nicely for them.

"And what advantages would this give me?" Asami asked glancing up at the man after carefully examining the map.

"I know that might look rather small, but it happens to be near a harbor and the area tends to be rather blocked in without a lot of light and not many people coming to this area. I've been told more then once in the past that this would a good area for deals to go down. So I was hoping that it would be of some benefit to you." Asami glanced over to Kirishima and gave a short nod of his head, the guard replied back in the same way.

"I'll have it checked out, but before we get that far, how much are you wanting for it? I could imagine someone really trying to get a very hefty sum from this since as you say it does look rather advantageous."

"I would never ask that much from you!" the man said putting his hand up in defense of himself as he was weary and rather afraid to upset the other knowing that there could be serious consequences if he did. "I know how much others would ask for this kind of spot, but for you- if you think that the price would be okay, I would just ask a simple five thousand." Asami looked down at the map in front of him as he pondered over the deal that the man made him, it wasn't that much money he would be having to pay for it, and it did look like a good spot that could come in handy for him, what did the price hurt?

"I'll give you half the money right now, if I really like the spot then you might find yourself ended up with more then expected, you'll by the end of the week if I like it or not." The man seemed rather relieved with the way that Asami had handled the situation. Standing up the man bowed deeply to Asami before scurrying out of the room before he did anything that could accidentally upset the other.

The door had only been closed for seconds before Kirishima cleared his throat, a sign that he wished to know he could speak.

"Go ahead." Asami said as he lit up another cigarette. He always allowed Kirishima to speak because the guard never said anything that wasn't useful.

"Are you sure that it is wise to pay such a large sum for such useless area?" a ghost of a smirk appeared on Asami's face when Kirishima asked this question.

"It's going to be actually more useful then one thinks." Asami replied as he blew the smoke out of his mouth. "It mightn't be that much use to me, but offering such a small piece of land at a low price can prove very useful, especially when one needs a reason to go somewhere." Kirishima understood right away what Asami was planning and bowed his head deeply in apology for questioning the other, Asami didn't mind his questioning though because it helped to make sure that he didn't end up making any bad mistakes which could cost him a fortune in clean up later.

Takaba was rather certain that by the time that he and Feilong had reached Feilong's quarters that there was going to be no way that he would remember the way to them, they had passed through so many halls that his head was spinning from them.

"Feilong!" the door was hardly open before a boy bolted from the other end of the room and latched onto Feilong who smiled sweetly down at the boy and ruffled his hair.

"Have you been good while I was gone Tao?" Feilong asked as the boy let him go so that he could enter further into the room.

"I didn't leave here just as you asked." Tao replied, beaming proudly up at Feilong, turning when he noticed that the door was still partly opened he blinked when he saw Takaba who did the exact same thing back at him.

"You should enter and close the door." Feilong told Takaba who realized that he was leaving the door wide open for anyone to see him.

"Who is he?" Tao asked Feilong once Takaba was inside of the room.

"He's a guest who's going to staying here for a bit, his name is Takaba." Tao looked over Takaba carefully and frowned when he was done.

"He doesn't look Japanese."

"I know I don't." Takaba mumbled, a small pout noticeable in his voice, the more he had it, the more he was finding that he didn't like the changes that had been made to him as they made him feel strange.

"He's truly Japanese, just right now he's carefully disguised so he doesn't get found out." Feilong explained to Tao who had crawled up on the bed to sit next to Feilong.

"Who can't find out about him?" Tao asked now that his curiosity was peaked.

"Yan." Feilong replied as he watched Tao's brows furrow. "You remember Asami, yes?" Tao nodded his head yes to Feilong's question. "Well he's currently working for him, well Yan wants to get a hold of him because he thinks that Asami wronged him. Right now I'm keeping him with me in order to make sure that nothing bad happens to him." Takaba wasn't certain that he liked the fact that Feilong was talking about him like he wasn't even in the room, but he wasn't going to complain about that at the moment because he was finding out more information about the situation that he somehow got involved in.

"What he do, is he someone important?" Tao then asked looking over at Takaba who hadn't moved away from being near the room's door though it was now closed.

"Depends on the use of important. Asami seems to think that he is rather important, which in turn makes Yan think that he must be something special and I don't really know what to think of him." Feilong's attention then turned to Takaba who was processing everything that he was being told. "You're safe to come further into the room, I won't yell at you unless you accidentally break something so you're free to do as you please." Takaba gave a small nod of his head as he stepped further into the room and looked around, the room itself wasn't that large but because of the way that everything had been placed in it, it gave the impression that it was rather spacious. Takaba carefully took a set on the futon that was placed not very far from the bed, too nervous to do much else, especially when he had two pairs of eyes that were watching him rather intently, the eyes of Tao he could handle easily because the showed the innocent curiosity of a child, but Feilong's were another story because it felt like he was waiting and watching intently for him to do something special, the longer he was stared at the more it felt like his skin was crawling which in turn caused him to start shifting around uncomfortable. "Takaba, why don't you show Tao what it is that you can do?" Feilong suggested, watching as Takaba looked up at him.

"But I don't have any paper or pencils." Feilong smirked when Takaba said this, standing up Feilong moved over to the dresser that was placed in the corner of the room.

"Here is where all of the supplies that you need will be resting. I figure that Asami wouldn't be very pleased if I didn't allow for you to at least work while you're staying here so I had this prepared for you." Feilong beckoned for Takaba to come over and the mangaka did as he asked without questioning. He was rather surprised by what he saw when he opened the door- there was anything that he could ever want or need when it came to make the perfect drawings. "Take what you please and show Tao." Feilong told Takaba again.

It took hardly any time for Takaba to choose what he wanted and reseat himself back on the futon with Tao curled up next to him waiting to see what amazing thing he would be doing. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable place for Takaba to be sitting, nor the best for him to draw at, but for the time being it was going to have to do for him. Taking him time and working carefully Takaba began to draw the next scene that he had planned for his manga.

"This is amazing!" Tao exclaimed after Takaba had finished only half the picture, the mangaka couldn't help but smile at how thrilled the Chinese boy was with something so small and simply as far as he was concerned. Feilong was also smiling as he watched the two interact. "Show me how to do it!" Takaba couldn't help but chuckle when Tao gave this order.

"This isn't something that can be easily taught in just a few minutes." Takaba explained as he looked down at the drawing in front of him. "This is something that takes quite a long time to perfect and to learn how do to properly. I can help teach you, but don't expect it to be something so easy to learn." Tao seemed eager nonetheless to learn even after Takaba told him this. Takaba used fresh paper to show the boy some of the basic things that he would need to learn first before going onto anything that could be considered difficult. Takaba was rather surprised to see that the boy learned rather quickly, he could understand how to do a basic shape, but getting to look exactly as it should was the biggest problem that he encountered. Takaba's lesson was interrupted when his phone suddenly started ringing.


	12. Chapter 12

Takaba pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket and was getting ready to answer it when Feilong took it from him.

"Hey!" Takaba complained, but one stern look from Feilong quieted him down as the Chinese man pressed the talk button on the cell phone and brought it up to his ear. Feilong wasn't surprised in the slightest to hear Asami's voice come from the other end of the phone.

"What a surprise to hear from you again so soon." Feilong told Asami, knowing very well that the one Asami wanted to speak to wasn't him, but his mangaka. The slightly irritated tone in Asami's voice and from the sounds Feilong was hearing in the background he could easily tell that Asami wasn't in much of a mood to be messed with. "Takaba?" Feilong questioned, glancing over to the boy who'd been watching Feilong the entire time since he had gotten on the phone and not paying attention to Tao who had stilled, seeming to realize that whoever was calling must've been someone very important by the way that both Takaba and Feilong were acting. "He's rather busy right now and can't speak with you. You must be fairly concerned about his well being to call in so soon about him again. You don't have to worry though, he's being very well taken care of right now." the change of expression on Feilong's face made Takaba that much more curious to know what exactly Asami was saying to the other. "Oh? I can be honored to expect a visit so soon after our last business deal ended, I have no problems with you coming over, but there might be someone else who doesn't wish to see you so soon." Feilong replied, the way that Asami was know talking let Feilong know that he had already more then likely come up with a plan that would appease his brother, even for a short while before he would go on to rant about something else. "Well I also have some important matters that need to be taken care of, we can talk more face to face when you actually get here." Feilong didn't wait to listen to what Asami was saying next before shutting the phone and handed it back to Takaba who was staring at him with a look that more then likely meant he wanted to know what had gone on. The look that Takaba received from Feilong more then likely meant that he was going to find out what he wanted to know.

Feilong left without telling Takaba anything that Asami had told him over the phone. The mangaka's attention was quickly drawn away from this matter though when Tao started bothering him again to teach him more on drawing. Takaba couldn't deny the boy though because he had a strong urge to learn and that was something that Takaba didn't want to take away from the boy.

Takaba actually only spent about another hour on teaching Tao before the boy fell asleep on the bed, pencil still in hand and head resting next to the pad that Takaba had given him. Takaba stared at the boy for some minutes, he didn't believe that with how old Feilong looked to be that Tao could possible belong to him, but then did that mean that Feilong adopted the boy and the boy had no real parents to speak of?

Takaba's thoughts were cut short when there was a firm knock on the door, startling the boy and causing him to stare at it. Takaba became relieved when Mikhail was the one who entered the room, the Russian smiled when he saw that that Takaba was staring at him.

"I came by Feilong's order to retrieve you for dinner." Mikhail explained his voice low as he noted the fact that Tao was sleeping peacefully on the bed. Takaba pointed at Tao with a questioning expression. "Feilong will come in soon to wake him, I've just been ordered to make sure that you get to the dining area safely." Takaba gave a short nod of his head as he stood up despite being apprehensive to leave the sleeping boy be.

Despite paying as close attention as he could, Takaba still had problems following each of the halls they were walking through as he attempted to try and remember the way to Feilong's room. Mikhail's steps were much larger then the ones that Feilong took thus forcing Takaba to have to walk faster in order to keep up with the other and not lose him.

They had been walking for about a total of ten minutes before Yoh approached them.

"Feilong has asked that I take Takaba the rest of the way as Yan is asking for your presence." Mikhail sighed when he heard this news, and Takaba understood that it was more then likely because he would have to wait longer to eat.

"Nothing can be done I suppose." Mikhail said with a shrug of his large shoulders as he turned back to the way that he and Takaba had just come from and headed towards Yan's room.

"If you would follow me." Yoh's voice brought the mangaka's attention away from watching Mikhail and back to him so that he could lead him to the dining room where Feilong was waiting for him.

The dinning hall was much larger then Takaba had expected it to be, much larger. The table that was situated in the middle of the room was about half as long as the entire span of the room and had to be able ten feet wide. Fifty chairs or so were set on both sides going from one end to the other, though Takaba doubted that all of them were ever filled that often. Feilong was sitting at the head of the table and waiting patiently for Takaba to finish looking around the room to speak. Every time that Feilong got to see Takaba, he understood more and more why exactly Asami was attracted to the boy, it was his curious and full of life attitude, it seemed to be able to drawn anyone in. Clearing his throat softly Feilong got the boy's attention, motioning with his hand for the boy to come to his side of the table, he had him sit two chairs down from him. Once Takaba was seated Yoh left the room to go and retrieve their food.

Takaba felt very uncomfortable and out of place as he sat at the table glancing around at anything and everything to take his mind off of the fact that only he and Feilong were left together in the room. This was one time though that Takaba could say that he was pleased to remember some of the table manners that his mother had taught, though he'd never thought that they'd come into any kind of use, it appeared he was wrong at that point.

"Have you enjoyed your stay here so far?" Feilong asked, causing Takaba to look at him.

"It has been a rather pleasant one." Takaba replied with a small bow of his head, feeling as Feilong smiled at him.

"Did Asami ever take you anywhere extravagant to dine?" this question caused Takaba's eyes to widen a bit as he looked away from Feilong.

"Nothing too horrible extravagant, just one of the clubs that he worked for." Takaba replied, he was more then a little pleased that Asami hadn't forced to go to any place more crowded because the mangaka had a hard time dealing with higher class people, they caused his skin to crawl.

"I see, and did you enjoy yourself?" small talk wasn't one of Takaba's good points and all of this questions were starting to cause him to feel rather uncomfortable.

"I kind of did, though I'm not the type of person who really enjoys eating out that often." Takaba replied. The mangaka became very thankful when the dinning room door opened and their meal was brought in, at least now he had something to distract his attention with and hopefully this would mean that Feilong's questions would stop for the time being.

Takaba's mouth almost dropped when he looked at all the different food that Yoh had brought with him, most of it was Chinese cuisine, but it all looked so good that Takaba had a hard time waiting for it all to be placed on the table for him to start eating. Once all of the food was placed before the two Yoh bowed before leaving the room again, obviously not being allowed to eat with them for whatever reason.

"Please feel free to eat as much as you like." Feilong told Takaba who didn't have to be given the order twice before he started digging into the food that had been placed in front of him.


	13. Chapter 13

All the food that had been set on the table was delicious, making Takaba eat so much that he felt as though his stomach was going to burst. Leaning back contently in his chair he closed his eyed and sighed contently. He opened his eyes again though when he heard the sound of a bottle clanking. Takaba watched as Feilong poured a glass of what looked some really expensive kind of alcohol. Feilong noticed the mangaka watching him and held the bottle out in his direction.

"Care to drink some?" He asked, watching the apprehensive look that passed over Takaba's face when he asked this question, causing Feilong to chuckle, knowing the reason why the boy was acting the way he was. "You don't have to worry about this stuff being drugged, I assure you that that was only done just to get you to come with me, knowing that you'd more then likely refuse if I asked you straight out." Takaba still appeared rather apprehensive after hearing Feilong say this, so the other just set the bottle back down on his side before picking up his glass and take a short sip of the drink and enjoying the flavor on his tongue. Takaba watched Feilong from the corner of his eyes as he tried to decide the best way to ask the question that he had wanted to ask for a while.

"Am I safe to ask a question." Feilong glanced at Takaba when he heard the other ask this in a low tone of voice.

"Depends on what type of question it is that you want to ask me." Feilong replied as he set his glass down to give his full attention to Takaba, who was still staring down at the table, as he got ready to ask his question.

"Your brother and Asami's business relationship..." Takaba started out slowly as Feilong nodded his head.

"They're mainly illegal if that is what you're asking." Feilong replied, watching as Takaba nodded his head. "On the other hand though the deals that both Asami and I do with each other are strictly legal and deal only with his publishing company. We make deals back and for that have us selling products from each other's companies. Asami may work in both sides of the line, but I strictly keep to the legal side of things so that no problems arise. My brother and I equally split up what our father had left for us equally, him deciding to take the illegal side and me deciding to take the more legal side." Feilong explained.

"Does that mean that Asami has a lot of different business then?" Takaba then asked, now that he was feeling more comfortable with speaking.

"More you could probably imagine and they just don't all deal with publishing, he owns clubs, arms manufacturers, and many more business of the likes." Somehow this news didn't surprise Takaba as much as the mangaka thought it would, Asami did give off the aura of having immense power, so he supposed that it would only make sense that he would own so many different businesses.

"So which side of his business came first?" Takaba then questioned as he nibbled on some of the leftovers that were still on the table, it was something he did more out of nervousness then actually being hungry.

"That would be his illegal side, I'm not one hundred percent certain how he got his exact start, but I know our father supported him quite a bit. That being the exact reason why Yan thinks that Asami should be giving more then he is to him, because of what our father has done for the Japanese Yakuza. I personally believe that Asami is being quite generous with everything that he has given us and done thus far. Living in such a small area doesn't give much room for expansion and Asami has been considerate enough to allow my brother to take certain areas on the edges of Japan, allowing for significant expanse on our part, though not doing much to damage him at the same time." Takaba understood very well everything that was being explained to him, he just didn't really like the idea of it all.

"And I fall into all of this again because?" Takaba then questioned as a small smirk appeared on Feilong's face.

"You come into this because Yan thinks that you're important to Asami and that by taking you, he'd be able to get a better deal from Asami then the current one that he has. Which is why I took you without my brother knowing it to avoid problems on either side. Though Asami does respect both of us, Yan mainly due to what our father has done. If something were to happen and major problems broke out he wouldn't mind shedding a bit of blood to cover everything up and get it back on track where it used to be." Takaba didn't like the thought of that one bit, though he highly doubted that if Asami were to kill anyone it wouldn't be because of him or at least not on his behalf. "You're thinking too much." Feilong told Takaba as he watched all the different emotions that passed over his face. "I suppose that I should summon Mikhail to show you to where your room is before it gets much later, I'm certain you must be tired after today." Despite everything that had happened Takaba found that he wasn't as tired as he had honestly expected himself to be, but he figured that this was partly due to the drug that Feilong had given him earlier, giving him those few extra hours of sleep so that he didn't feel so exhausted.

Takaba walked carefully behind Mikhail who led him done some halls where he said that his room would be, Mikhail had also assured him that his supplies had already been moved into that room so that he draw whenever he desired to do so. Takaba had thanked the other before the two had fallen into complete silence.

Takaba's mind was so heavy with everything that Feilong had told him that he hadn't noticed when Mikhail had come to a sudden halt until he had bumped directly into the other's back. Taking a step back the mangaka looked around the other's shoulder to see what had caused him to stop, when he saw the person that was standing there Takaba felt the instinctive need to sink back.

"Yan." Mikhail greeted with a small bow of respect as the Chinese man stared at him with a large amount of disgust swarming in his eyes. The Chinese man's attention was quickly drawn to Takaba causing him to jump slightly.

"And who would this be?" Yan questioned Mikhail as he stared at Takaba with a mild amount of interest and a large amount of distrust.

"He is my half cousin from my mother's side." Mikhail explained as he watched the looks that were being exchanged between the two, mostly noting how nervous Takaba was acting.

"Can he not introduce himself?" Yan questioned as he continued staring at Takaba who was shifting back and forth slightly under the intense gaze that he was receiving. Mikhail carefully stepped in front of Takaba, providing him with a small amount of protection as Mikhail smiled at Yan.

"My cousin doesn't know that much Japanese or Cantonese, he doesn't do very well with strangers either and would prefer not to have to talk if possible."

"Feilong asked me to bring him over since recently he has shown an interest in drawing and Feilong was wondering if he'd be interested in getting a job working here even if it was for a short amount of time." Mikhail explained.

"And is he interested in staying here and working for my brother for a while?" Yan then asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"He said that he'd give it some thought, but is rather nervous about the idea of being away from his parents too long, he has also stated that his father would prefer if he took over his business once he gets a little older, and he doesn't wish to disrespect his father by not doing what the other wishes him to do." Takaba was surprised that Mikhail was able to come up with all of this so quickly.

"I take it then that he won't be staying here for that much longer then?" Mikhail shook his head in response to this question.

"He is only planning on staying here for a few days longer before leaving."

"Then just make sure that he stays out of trouble until that point."

"I'll do my best to do so." Mikhail told Yan with a bow as the other started walking past them in the direction that Feilong was still in.

Mikhail released a sigh of relief once Yan was gone. Takaba could feel the danger that was coming off of Yan just by the way that he acted, and this caused a chill to go down his back. Yan was most certainly someone that he didn't want to get caught by, it most certainly wouldn't be a pleasurable experience at least.


	14. Chapter 14

Takaba found that he couldn't go to sleep no matter how hard he tried; he went from thinking over everything that had recently happened to thinking of nothing whatsoever

At the same time, causing him to be highly irritated.

He also felt the strong urge to draw and work on his story, but every time he tried to draw his characters, other characters would replace them. Characters he was familiar with, but at the same time couldn't place who they were. On top of all this he found himself continually looking at his cell phone as though he was actually expecting a call from someone, or to be more specific since Takaba would never admit this out loud, he was waiting for Asami to call him. He wasn't certain if it was just that he wanted to hear the other's voice or what the reason was for it, but Takaba felt that right then and there that a call from Asami would've been rather soothing, or if anything take his mind off of the few things that he had to currently worry about.  
>Yan was something that Takaba was trying his hardest to keep his mind off of, the man caused him to feel chills and he knew that if said person got his hands on him, things would probably not go that well for him. Takaba wasn't even certain that what Mikhail had told Yan even convinced the man that they were related. Feilong had assured him that there wouldn't be much to worry about as long as he keep his mouth shut and didn't say much, but Takaba wasn't that assured by these words for despite the life style that he has lived, Takaba has a knack for sensing danger and it was coming off of that man in waves, more so then what was coming from Asami.<p>

Takaba shut his eyes with a sigh as he tried to direct his thoughts in a different direction, namely in the direction of his story, for he knew that if he could focus most of his thoughts on his manga then he'd at least create what would hopefully be a big enough of a distraction that he might actually be able to fall asleep, or at least make it so that he could work on it so that he wouldn't be so bored just laying around in the bed, since he knew that there were still quite a few hours before the sun would decide to show his face.

Kirishima had checked everything over with Asami twice, just to be certain that they'd be ready for when the plan landed, there wasn't that much certainty as to how fair Asami would manage to get when it came to negotiating with Yan, but Kirishima was ready with all the information that the Chinese would want to know. The plan was already more then halfway to Hong Kong and Asami was till only half awake. His eyes half lidded as his mind traveled over exactly how he was going to handle the situation, he knew that Yan would easily take the bait, the place was a rather good spot to take, not good enough for Asami, but good enough for Yan who was only just starting his expansion in Japan.  
>Asami became fully awake when the loud speakers blared that the plane was getting ready to land and that it passengers should stay in their seats. Asami put out his cigarette at this time and adjusted his suite before standing once the plane came to a halt. Glancing back at Kirishima he watched as the other gave a nod of his head before handing him the tightly sealed thick white envelope.<p>

Asami took his time coming out of the plane and wasn't that surprised to see that Yan was already there waiting with at least three other men, Feilong was standing on the side lines away from his brother, seeming amused about something that Asami would only be able to guess about. Kirishima stayed back near the plane in case Yan wasn't in much of a good mood to be courting Asami and it turned out that they'd be having to turn back around for the time being and leave. Kirishima found that it was mentally easier to walk forward then it was to have to turn around and go back the other way. Asami always made situations like this easier for him to accepted by always bowing lowly when he wasn't invited before making his appearance, the man might've had pride, but Asami always knew at which moments he should drop that pride and act low. Yan seemed pleased with his action because he did the same, gesturing that he didn't mind the other's presence.

"And what would bring the great Asami to visit me again so suddenly?" Yan asked once the two of them were standing again.

"For two reasons." Asami replied as he pulled the envelope out of his pocket and gave it to Yan. "I was hoping you'd be interested in taking a look at this area, it's only a small portion on land but the placement of it is rather good. Secondly I came because Feilong forgot to close a certain part of our deal so I wasn't able to go on with it in the time that was planned."

"I deeply apologize for making such a mistake." Feilong replied, giving Asami a low bow, though he mainly did this to hide the smirk that was trying to make itself known on his face. He wasn't exactly that certain as to how Asami would react to what he did to the mangaka or if he would even be able to recognize him without anything being mentioned beforehand.

"So how long exactly are you planning on staying here for then?" Yan then asked as they headed back towards the inside of the building with Kirishima following a few steps behind them.

"I don't expect that all of this should take more then three days at most, if it takes longer then I have no problem with paying for my stay here."

"I have no problem accommodating a friend as long as you don't mind the living standards of Hong Kong."

"I don't think that there will be much of anything for me to complain about." Asami replied, hardly paying any attention to the man that was talking with him.

"I do hope that you found our earlier deal to be pleasing to do?" Yan questioned as they entered the building, catching Asami's attention for the first time in minutes.

"It was better then I had expected it to, though there wasn't much of a reason for you to have been so generous, it is fine to cut deals lower seeing as we are such close friends." Asami didn't miss the small drop that happened in Yan's face when he said this, the man could try all he wanted but Asami knew exactly what it was that he was trying to get at.

"I take it then that with the deals that we've been making that things are going rather well here?" Asami then asked as he took in everything that they were passing by in the halls, noting how much things had changed since the last time he had been to this place two years ago with his last business deal.

"Things are going fairly well, the people aren't complaining that much right now, so there don't seem to be any problems that are showing on the surface, underneath though I am worried that someone might be thinking about starting a rebellion, I have at least heard rumors about it being passed around every now and again. Though I don't believe that even if there is one that it should be much of a threat at this current point in time, if anything the problems caused by it would be very small."

"Help can always be provided on my side with no cost necessary." Asami offered causing Yan to smirk lightly.

"You have always been over generous when it comes to situations like this, that is the reason why I respect you so much." Asami knew better then to be pleased by the man's empty compliments because he knew that they were being said to do nothing more then to put him at ease so he wouldn't suspect what the other was going to do next.

"I hope that I am not being rude as to inquire about where my room will be?" Asami inquired catching Yan slightly off guard by it. "I feel rather tired after my trip here and would like to rest some before getting down to serious business." Asami explained as Yan nodded his head.

"No problems at all, rest as much as you need and I will be pleased to see your presence again later." Yan replied as he snapped his fingers at one of his men who took his position in front of Asami in order to lead him in the direction of his room.

Asami had no honest intentions of resting; he was hoping that Feilong would take this as a signal that he wanted to speak with the other. Asami had planned on wasting no time when it came to finding out where exactly Takaba was at, because he knew that the longer he stayed there, more problems could arise.

Takaba almost froze the moment that he saw Asami being escorted through the halls and directly past him, Mikhail was standing right in front of him so Asami wasn't able to look directly at him, but Takaba was more then certain that even if Asami were to stare at him straight on that he'd be recognized with the way that he currently looked.

"Well it would seem as though someone wasted no time in getting him here." Mikhail commented once Asami was out of hearing range. Takaba nodded his head in agreement, he hadn't excepted Asami to come so soon.


	15. Chapter 15

Once Asami and Kirishima had been escorted into the room that they'd be staying in for the duration of the time they'd been there and were left alone Asami relaxed a slight amount. Yan was much more compliant that Asami had expected him to be, which he could see as possible being a problem later on, but that was currently the least of his concerns. Asami had hardly any time to waste when it came to finding Takaba, he knew that he'd have to rely on Feilong to tell him where the other was, which wasn't much of a problem as long as he got the chance to talk with the other sooner rather then later.

Something had niggled at the back of Asami's mind when he had passed the blond haired young man in the corridor on the way to the room that he was currently in, but without being able to get a good look at the other he couldn't be all that certain about anything.

The two had hardly settled into the room before there was a knock on the door and lunch was brought into them. Kirishima being the overly careful bodyguard that he was tasted the food first before allowing Asami to.

Halfway through eating lunch there was another knock on the door and this time a man came in carrying a letter in his hand. Asami could easily tell by the seal that it belonged to Feilong. Wiping his hands off Asami carefully took the note and opened it. Feilong somehow always managed to keep his handwriting ever so neat no matter the circumstances that he was writing under. Feilong had sent him a dinner invitation for that evening, stating that he'd be able to give him further information concerning Takaba then, and it would better to wait till then for any further communication. Once finished reading the note, Asami told the man who had delivered it that he'd accept the dinner invitation and that Feilong could expect him around six, the man bowed before leaving the room.

After lunch was finished there wasn't much else for Asami to do, besides waiting for dinner, and then of course waiting for Yan to summon him and say that he was ready to speak with him about the afore mentioned deal.

For Asami though, it happened to be a problem to him that he didn't have anything to do, for he was a man who lived off of having to work, especially in situations where there wasn't that much that he could do. Asami was know for being able to work all nighters for multiple days in a row without even showing any sign that he hadn't gotten any sleep. Kirishima was of course the one who was mostly in charge of handing out the extra work for Asami to do when he was in one of his many moods, so even the bodyguard became uncomfortable in situations such these because there wasn't that much that he could ask the other about or get him to do.

Asami went for doing the next best thing that he could do in situations where he didn't have anything that he could do. He decided to sleep, though he wasn't really that tried, he hadn't gotten any sleep in over two days and he knew that if anything happened then he'd need to a hold of as much energy as he could. It was more difficult for him to sleep though as he wasn't in that familiar of a place so that discomfort of being caught while not being alert was rather high, though he knew that he could rely on Kirishima to keep a good watch while he was asleep.

Takaba was horrible fidgety as he sat in Feilong's room with the Chinese man and Tao who was still eager as ever for Takaba to continue teaching him further in the art of drawing. Takaba's mind was much too distracted with Asami to put his full attention on teaching the boy in front of him and the other seemed to notice this rather quickly, though it didn't stop him from bothering Takaba.

"Worrying won't do you any good right now, it'll still be a few more hours before you'll be able to see him. I suggest that you take that time to relax and compose yourself so problems occur." Feilong told Takaba, removing the pipe from his mouth to blow out the smoke.

"Isn't it rather dangerous for him to come here though?" Takaba questioned, glancing over at Feilong who had an amused look on his face.

"Oh? And what else is there for him to do? It wouldn't have been that safe for me to have sent you back so soon after having brought you over here, Yan would've more then likely known that something was up then. Asami tends to be a rather impatient man when it comes to dealing with situations that he has no control over, so rather then waiting for things to even out of course he'd feel the need to come here and take back what is his."

Takaba frowned at Feilong's words, for it felt as though the other was talking about him like he was property.

"I don't technically belong to the other though, and I'm more then certain that there are many more talented people that he could get a hold of and who could easily replace me." The sparkle in Feilong's eyes caused Takaba to feel rather uncomfortable.

"Ahh, how clueless some people can be." He sighed, shaking his head lightly; "Though Asami isn't much better then you. If things end up playing out the way that I expect them to then you should know what I'm talking about soon enough." Takaba just gave Feilong a very confused look that caused the other to chuckle, though he wasn't able to stare at Feilong for too long before Tao was in his face again and trying to ask him a question about what he was trying to draw. Feilong really did enjoy watching the interactions between the boy and mangaka, because he was rather certain that it did something good for Tao to have another source of interaction beside himself. Takaba was also very patient with the boy and had no problem taking the time to explain things to him and even draw examples if that is what the other needed for him to do. Interacting with Tao caused a sudden idea to spark inside of Takaba bout his own story, one so great that he actually started drawing a planed scene, Tao didn't seem to mind that the other's attention wasn't on him anymore because he had no problem sitting there and watching the other as he carefully drew, paying careful attention to the way the other moved his hand.

Takaba was so focused on working on his idea at hand that he didn't even about the fact that not only did he have Tao leaning over his shoulder to see exactly what it was he was drawing, but he also had Feilong intently watching him to see the final outcome of his drawing. Feilong smirked as he watched Takaba continuing to draw with quick and efficient moves, it was easy for him to tell why exactly Asami had decided to hire, he was good without a doubt, better then even some of the most talented mangaka's that he'd seen. His outward appearance could be confusing to some because he didn't have much of an air of professionalism about him, but he was most certainly a professional and then some in Feilong's opinion.

The knock on the door didn't even take Takaba's attention away from what he was working, even when Mikhail entered the room.

"It's almost time to attend dinner." Mikhail told Feilong in a low tone of voice, noticing that Takaba was working hard.

"Thank you, I'll be there shortly once this one here is done with his work." Feilong told Mikhail who bowed his head at him before leaving the room again, closing the door softly behind himself. Feilong knew that it would be better to take Takaba with him, but the other was focusing so hard on what he was working on he didn't really want to take him away from it.

"Are you ready to go and see your savior?" these words caught Takaba's attention right away and caused him to look up at Feilong.


	16. Chapter 16

Yoh led Asami into the large dinning room. He bowed deeply as the other walked past him to enter the room. Feilong was already in the dinning and he smiled at Asami when he saw the other enter. Yoh bowed again before leaving the room to prepare to bring dinner as his job of escorting Asami was done.

"I must admit that I didn't expect for you to come here so quickly." Feilong commented as Asami took his seat at the table, lighting up a cigarette before looking over at the other.

"Did you think that I would just sit around until things died down after you took an important asset?" Feilong raised an eyebrow in amusement when Asami said this.

"Important asset is all you view him as? But I'm not certain that I've seen you ever go this far for any of your former important assets."

"Yes, and I also fired them not long after they came under my control because as it turned out there talent wasn't as worth it as it first seemed. As you know finding true talent can be difficult." Asami explained, exhaling smoke from this mouth as Yoh came into the room with a cart that was holding must of the food that would be served for the night.

Asami felt that Yoh took too much time setting everything on the table in its proper order as it probably took at least ten minutes for everything to be placed and for the other to leave the room again. Once Yoh was gone, Asami's eyes scanned around the room again. ""Where is he?" Asami asked, looking back over at Feilong who had just finished pouring himself a glass of Champaign from one of the bottles that Yoh had brought in.

"Where is who?" Feilong questioned as took a sip of the Champaign, savoring the flavor as he rolled it around his mouth.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about." Asami replied, his eyes narrowing a small amount as he stared at the other who was obviously taking great amusement in messing with him.

"If you're talking about your important asset, he still isn't here yet because he was still busy when I left him. I haven't put that many restrictions on him, thus he's been able to draw quite a large amount since you were gone, his talent is definitely above average, so much so that it almost makes me want to take him for myself."

"Don't push it." Asami growled causing Feilong to chuckle.

"Oh how overly protective this one is. You should know that you don't have to worry about me taking him, and even if I honestly did want him you know I could pay a good sum of money for his talent, and looks." Asami brushed off Feilong's last comment much to the other's disappointment. "Oh but I did forget to mention that I did do a little "Something" To him. Nothing bad, nothing bad." Feilong quickly assured when the look that Asami gave him clearly stated that there'd be hell to pay if the other was hurt. "I am looking forward to your reaction though when you get to see him." Asami knew that it wouldn't be worth it to even try asking Feilong what exactly he had done because when it came to things like this, the other enjoyed messing with him. Asami knew that he was probably more lenient with Feilong then he should've been and that he allowed the other to get away with quite a bit, which most people would end up dying if they even tried to do to him. This was all simply due to the fact though that Feilong and Asami had known each other for quite a long time and Asami had gotten used to all of Feilong's antics so they didn't bother him so much anymore, though at times Feilong could push things a bit too far. "Did you really have a deal though that you wanted to take up with my brother?"

"Yes," Asami replied, "I bought a small parcel of land that would be completely useless to me for a rather low price, though I suspect that your brother will be pleased with the lay out of it and won't hesitate to buy it from me. Though I don't intend to ask him for much then I got it for."

"I would be careful about how much more exactly you push things with him, his temper just seems to be getting worse as the days go, I'm actually surprised that he even allowed for you to be granted passage."

"I'm certain that he already knows that something is up, which is why I have to be extremely careful about how I handle the deal and of course getting Takaba back without arising any suspicions."

"Well getting a hold of Takaba won't be that hard, that is as long as you handle the situation properly." Feilong assured Asami as steps could be heard coming down the hall. Feilong was certain that they must've belonged to the mangaka, but the steps quickly went past their door signaling that it was just someone else.

"To be honest though, there was something that you ended up forgetting to sign off on." Asami told Feilong as he held out a piece of paper that the other looked at dismissively, knowing already what it was.

"It wasn't that I forgot to sign it, it was that I didn't want to sign it." Feilong explained as he pushed the paper back towards Asami "I have enough to handle here without having to take care of another branch." Feilong huffed.

"Even you should know that having a branch in Tokyo would help to take some of the work load off of here and even make making deals outside of Hong Kong easier." Contrary to what his brother usually tended to think, Feilong felt that Asami was much to generous, even in a circumstance such as this, for he knew what branch Asami was trying to give to him. The branch was a fairly advantageous one and one that Feilong knew Asami had put more work into, though Feilong had hardly been to that branch, he had seen enough from it to know how efficiently it worked and how well the sells went there, just simply for that reason alone he would refuse to take it from Asami.

"That maybe be true, but that doesn't meant that I'm going to be any more willing to take it from you." Feilong replied as Asami stared at him intently, he suspect that Asami was going to be pushy about the matter and more then likely try to force Feilong take it even if the other didn't want it, so Feilong was rather pleased the room's door was opened Mikhail entered with a blond haired young man following behind. Asami's attention was immediately drawn to the boy who's eyes kept darting around the room as he followed closely behind the other, every now and again the boy's eyes made contact with Asami's, but it was hardly for even a second before the eye contact was broken. Feilong smirked as he watched Asami follow the boy's ever move, and it wasn't until he was seated at the table that Asami's attention shifted back to Feilong who's smirked widened.

"And the honored guest has arrived." Feilong stated turning his attention to the boy who was now directly looking at him.


	17. Chapter 17

Takaba had paced back and for in the room for he didn't know how long as the stress built up inside of him. Asami had honestly just come here to pick him up? Takaba could almost not believe that, he mightn't have know Asami for that long, but he didn't come across as the type of person who'd come to rescue any person who worked for him just because they were in danger. Feilong's words had just confused him even more and know that Takaba was actually going to be coming face to face again with Asami his chest felt almost too tight, making it a very difficult task for him to breath. Feilong had already assured him that he didn't need to go see the other if he didn't want to, but that more then likely if he didn't go and see Asami know that the two of them would come face to face at some other point in time.

Takaba knew that the sooner he went to go and see Asami the sooner he'd be able to go back to Japan and get out of danger's way, but at the same time he wasn't all that certain that that was what he wanted to do. Feilong was most certainly a much nicer person to be around and had as of yet to force Takaba into doing something he didn't want to, making the exact opposite of Asami. Though at the same point in time Takaba was aware that the longer he stayed in Hong Kong the more problems that that could cause. Glancing over at the clock Takaba groaned when he saw that he didn't have much time left before he was going to have to make a decision one way or the other.

Takaba inhaled a deep breath but lost it just as quickly as he drew it in as a knock on the door startled him greatly. Takaba was aware of the fact that it was just going to be Mikhail coming to check and see if he was ready to leave for dinner or not, but with the current way that his nerves were feeling that didn't really matter all that much to him.

Shaking his head Takaba decided that he would go ahead and get the whole thing over with and just see Asami since he was already expecting to have to do it, it was better to take care of the problem now.

Mikhail stepped to the side when Takaba exited from the room and gave him a nod of the head signaling that he was ready to be led to the dinning room.

Takaba wasn't all that certain that he was actually going to be able to eat anything with how tightly knotted his stomach was, but he had a slight amount of hope that the feeling would ease up once he was actually sitting down at the table.

The walk wasn't as long as Takaba was hoping that it'd have been because all too soon he found himself standing right outside of the dining room. Freezing here again for a few seconds he reconsidered his options and was almost tempted to turn around and head back the other way. Mikhail seemed to sense his nervousness because he gave him a kind smile before starting to twist the door handle. Takaba took in another deep breath, knowing that at this point there was no turning back for him.

Takaba was careful to keep himself behind Mikhail as he glanced around the room, he knew exactly where Asami was because the other was staring directly at him. Takaba was much too nervous to keep direct eye contact with Asami and whenever he tried to do so he ended up not being able to hold it for more then a second.

Once Mikhail had moved to the table and the mangaka was seated, he looked directly over at Feilong, not even daring to stare at Asami.

"The honored guest has arrived." Takaba felt rather nervous when this statement was made, his eyes shifting down to look at the table in front of him, thus making him miss the smirk that passed over Asami's face in the process.

"And who exactly might this be?" Asami's question caused Takaba to glancing over at him.

"This here is Mikhail my secretary's half cousin, Milan. He came over with Mikhail because he has a large interest in drawing and wanted to see exactly how my company worked. I must warn you though he doesn't know much Japanese or Cantonese so it's best not to talk to him too much." Feilong explained, amused by how quickly Asami caught onto the situation.

"I see, and for much longer is he intending to stay here for?" Asami attention went back to Takaba after he asked this question; the other managed to keep eye contact with Asami for a short while longer before his attention was drawn back to Feilong to see what his answer would be.

"I'm not exactly all that certain as to how long he is planning on staying here. Mikhail might you know?" the Russian man seemed to think about this for a few seconds before answering.

"He didn't actually tell me about how long he's planning on staying here for, but I think that he might be planning on leaving soon." Mikhail replied.

"I take it that he must have good talent then?" Asami questioned next.

"Oh his talent is rather good, I would even consider taking him if it wasn't for the fact that he already seems to have plans for exactly what he wants to do with his life." Feilong replied.

Takaba wasn't particularly enjoying the fact that everyone was talking about him without even giving him that much attention. He would at least think that it would be safe for him to talk considering that they were in the dinning area and just the night before Feilong had no problem talking with him. Mikhail had still warned him though to be careful about exactly how much he talked and that it would more then likely be safer not to speak at all unless Feilong directly told him that it would be safe to.

"I think that we've been talking a little bit too much now and that it would be better if we start eating." Feilong stated after a short time had passed and Asami hadn't posed any more questions to him.

Feilong took note of the fact that once they started eating Asami began to pay more attention to Takaba. Though the glances were subtle, Feilong still took note of them. Takaba also seemed more fidgety and nervous while eating though he didn't even attempt to look in Asami's direction as he focused on the food in front of him. Feilong couldn't help but smirk at the two very different interactions that were going on.

It didn't take very long for dinner to be finished eating. Takaba was already very certain of the fact that Feilong and Asami were going to want to be able to talk for a while on their own, and he was ready to leave as it was because the tension of being around Asami for too long was starting to get to him.

Feilong had already let him know before dinner that Yoh would be waiting for him so that he could go back to his room since Mikhail had some important business to deal with. Takaba excused himself from with a slight inclination of the head as both pairs of eyes watched exit much to his discomfort.

Once outside of the room Takaba was able to breath a little bit better, the tension wasn't so thick, but he still had a new problem at hand to deal with, he didn't see Yoh. Glancing down both sides of the hall he didn't see the stoic bodyguard anywhere. Being a patient person next to the fact that he felt a little too nervous to find his own way to his room Takaba decided that he would stand here and wait for a while to see if maybe the other just had to leave for a moment.

Takaba wasn't certain for exactly how many minutes he stayed standing there, but Yoh still hadn't appeared. He was almost on the verge of just giving up on waiting on the other and just taking the chance to try and remember his way back to his room when the door opened behind him and caused him to jump slightly. Takaba stepped to the side before turning around to see that it was Asami who'd exited the room and the other was staring directly at him.

"I take it that you're waiting for your escort to appear." Asami questioned, causing Takaba to feel even more uncomfortable then he already did, as he wasn't certain how exactly he was supposed to handle the situation in front of him. "I can lead you to your room if you'd like, I already know where you're staying." Takaba didn't know if he should be pleased about this or scared by what Asami had just told him. Takaba could only guess by the way that Asami was acting that he must've know who he was, but that made Takaba just feel that much more nervous. "Are you going to follow after me or not." Takaba hadn't realized that he'd spaced out till he noticed Asami was standing a few feet ahead of him.

Takaba made sure to walk a few feet behind Asami, as he didn't feel comfortable being so close to him as they walked down the halls. Takaba found that it was rather hard to stop himself for staring at Asami's bored back. It wasn't like it was that long that he last saw Asami, but now seeing the older man in front of him, all his sense were starting to feel strange.

The walk was thankfully a rather short one and Asami really did seem to know where exactly to go because it wasn't that long before Takaba found himself standing in front of the door that was his room. Takaba bowed his head slightly to Asami as a thank you and got ready to enter the room, his hand almost on the door handle when he was suddenly flipped around and lips crashed hard against his own. Takaba's eyes widened at the intensity of the kiss as his breath was taken away, without knowing exactly what was going on he found himself within a matter of seconds responding to the kiss eagerly and even granting entrance of his mouth to the other.

The kiss was broken and Takaba was certain that he must've been blushing by the look on Asami's face. The older man didn't say anything as he turned around and started walking away from the other who was still rather light headed and stunned by what had happened. Takaba absent mindedly rubbed his fingers over his lips as he watched the other leave before shaking his head and entering him room, slamming the door behind himself a little harder then he meant.

Takaba knew that he was well on the way to another sleepless night thanks to what Asami had done him, after laying in bed for over an hour flipping from side to side without feeling the slightest inclination to fall asleep.

The fact that his throat was parched didn't help any either, he tried to ignore it at first and even had taken a small sip from the bathroom sink connected to his room, but it was starting to get worse with the passing seconds and Takaba knew that he was going to need a little something else to make it go away.

Takaba was still wary to leave his room but he was hoping that since it was rather later that everyone else would be asleep so that he didn't end up bumping into anyone that he didn't want to.

He had a kind of a good idea as to where exactly the kitchen was from the way that he was taken to the dinning plus the way that Yoh had left them from when he had first had dinner in there. The only thing that Takaba really had to worry about after that point was if he remembered how to get back to his room.

Takaba almost instinctively froze when Yan came into sight, walking down the hall in his direction, the panic inside of him was starting to build up as they got closer to each other making him almost want to run in the other direction. He didn't of course, thinking that as long as he didn't pay any attention to the other and just keep going on his own way there wouldn't be any problem.

"You know." Yan started once they had just passed each other, a few feet between them. The words coming out of Yan's mouth almost caused Takaba to freeze completely. "Asami and I are going to be having a meeting tonight, how would you feel if I killed him then?" before Takaba even realized what he was doing he whipped around, not paying attention to the fact that he'd just given himself away till a rather large amount of pain shot through his head and he felt himself start to black out as his hair was grabbed rather roughly.


	18. Chapter 18

Asami could feel that something was off, he wasn't certain what exactly it was, but it was enough to draw him out of the light slumber that he had fallen into. Kirishima also seemed to be slightly on alert Asami took quick note as he sat up from his laying position on the bed. Asami's mind immediately went to Takaba, though he was certain that it shouldn't have been anything with the other since he himself had escorted Takaba to his room.

The fact that Asami was going to be having a meeting with Yan latter on didn't help him to feel anymore at ease, for the other could be very finicky and then at that point many different things could go wrong.

Two soft raps on the outside of the door almost had Asami pulling his gun out due to routine. He stopped himself though as he approached the door, his hand still very close to the weapon if he needed, but he didn't want to pull it out if it was only a false alarm.

Asami opened the door to have Yoh bow deeply to him causing Asami to relax a certain amount.

"I am sorry to inform you that Yan will not be able to attend your meeting that was supposed to take place this evening, something more important happened to come up and he wished for me to inform you of this." Asami wasn't pleased with this, not one bit because it told him something was more then likely off, and the worst part was without him really knowing what was going on and being at such a large disadvantage by only having Kirishima with him, it wouldn't be wise for him to make a move without first learning what he was going to be dealing with.

"Very well, let him know that I understand and will be more then pleased to still speak with him tomorrow." Asami replied as Yoh bowed to him again before stepping back so that Asami could close the door.

Right now Asami knew he had to keep a tight hold on everything, at least for the night because if Yan was busy with something else then it wasn't likely that the other would be planning on making his move. Asami wouldn't dare to move at night either, which is why he'd wait until first thing in the morning when he'd get a chance to speak with Feilong, if the other wasn't already aware of what might've happened.

Asami knew that he had made both a very smart and stupid decision by only taking Kirishima with him, the smart part of the decision that he had made was that he could rely on Kirishima to think just as quickly as he did without having to hesitate, so Asami could hope that with that alone it'd be more than enough to put him in more of an advantageous position. Right now though he needed to calm down and make sure that anything he planned was well thought through, Asami knew that it would be stupid to move without first doing this.

Takaba wasn't all that certain as to where exactly he was at, all he knew is that it was completely dark wherever he was at and his head was killing him. He remembered clearly what had happened before he blacked out and ended up wherever it was that he was currently at, and that was the one reason why he didn't want to move, because the darkness meant one of two things, neither one was very pleasing to him and the mangaka knew that he was going to probably find out the answer sooner then he wanted to.

As Takaba had figured it wasn't long before the lights were suddenly flipped on and he became temporarily blinded by the sudden light.

"What a surprise to see you awake so soon, I honestly expected you to be out for quite a while longer." Once Takaba's eyes adjusted properly to the light he quickly scooted back when he saw that Yan was standing not more then a few feet away from him. Being in such a closed environment with such a dangerous person caused Takaba to realize exactly how defenseless and trapped he was if a dangerous situation were to unfold. Takaba knew that Yan must've sensed the fear coming off him just simply by the cruel smile that was on the other's face. Asami was a very dangerous man in Takaba's eyes, to the level that he knew he should attempt to avoid the other as much as possible, but Yan took dangerous to a totally different level from Takaba. The dangerous aura coming from Yan told Takaba that if he wasn't careful with what he did he could actually end up dead. "You are a rather nice catch, I think that I could understand why Asami would be so interested in you." Takaba slapped away Yan's hand as the other leaned forward to touch his face.

"Don't you dare fucking touch me." Takaba growled as he scooted further back from Yan who seemed amused by his want to resist him. "There isn't anything going on between Asami and me besides me just working for him." Despite saying these words, Takaba wasn't all that certain about them.

"If that's true then why did Asami come all the way here just to retrieve you?" You honestly can expect me to believe such a blatant lie, now can you?"

"It's not a lie!" Takaba snapped as he stood up, with him still being shaky he wasn't quick enough to avoid Yan's hand which shot out to grip his hair rather roughly, Takaba barely managed to bite his tongue in time to hold back the yelp that wanted to escape his throat.

"Trash like you should know better then to raise your voice to me." Yan's voice was calm, but dangerously low at the same time letting Takaba know that he should heed the warning and threat that he knew would follow, but this didn't stop him from glaring heatedly at the other despite the massive amount of pain that his scalp was in. Takaba didn't like the way that Yan was looking his body over; it caused his skin to crawl. "I'm certain that Asami must've touched this body more then once before. I wonder how much he trained it to submit." Takaba froze when Yan brought their faces closer together, a clear sign that he was going to kiss him.

a slap echoed through the room as Takaba slapped Yan across the face without really realizing what exactly he had done till the other had let go of his hair to touch the fiery spot on his face.

Takaba didn't move from his spot despite being scared stiff of what the other was going to do him after that. Yan was still clearly displeased despite the smirk that was covering his face as Takaba took a step back from him when Yan looked him directly in the eye.

"It would seem as though this one still needs some training yet." Takaba didn't like the way that Yan said those words or the way that the other approached him. Yan didn't have to say anything to let Takaba know that he had just put himself in a really shitty position, one he knew that he'd probably regret.

Feilong was feeling rather uncomfortable by the time that breakfast had passed and Takaba hadn't come to join him. Feilong had decided when Takaba didn't show up first thing in the morning that he was more then likely in his room taking care of some ideas he must've gotten now that Asami was here, but it seemed as though it had been too long of a time for the other to be gone. Feilong had even spoken to Kirishima when he saw the guard posted outside of Asami's door in case the two decided to spend the night together despite the danger that this might pose. Kirishima had explained to him though that this wasn't the case and that Asami was still asleep and hadn't seen the mangaka since the night before.

Yan was the only option left in Feilong's mind and that bothered him quite a bit as he stood outside of his brother's office, already confirming the fact that the other was there. Feilong knew exactly how dangerous Yan could be, and that was the main reason why he had decided that it would be better not to go looking around for Takaba himself without confirming with his brother that Yan hadn't caught onto what was going on.

When Feilong knocked on the outside of the door a muffled enter came from inside.

Yan didn't really seem to be all that pleased to see Feilong, as he seemed rather busy working on some documents.

"I came to question you as whether or not you know where Mikhail's cousin might be, he hasn't been seen since last night and I was wondering if you knew about his whereabouts." Feilong explained as his brother frowned slightly at him.

"No, I haven't seen the other since the first day that he came here. If he isn't with Mikhail then I don't know what to tell you."

"I see, thank you." Feilong gave his brother a short bow before he got ready to leave the room.

"Though I did happen to get my hands on a very interesting and cute Japanese boy." Yan commented as Feilong to ready to leave the office, causing the younger brother to stiffen noticeable, knowing exactly what Yan meant without the other having to say anymore. "Care to explain to me how exactly this situation happened?" Yan asked causing Feilong to turn around to face him again.


	19. Chapter 19

Asami didn't leave his room for three quarters of the next day, he only ate breakfast and he had that brought up to him. Feilong wasn't apparently available for him to talk because something important came up for him to have to handle to, so Asami distracted himself with dealing with some work that he could get done over his computer.

Asami didn't question about the whereabouts of Milan, as he was certain that it would cause some to become suspicious of his reason for asking.

Yoh had come to see Asami once already towards the afternoon and stated that Yan would be willing to see him at seven that evening if that was a good time for Asami. Asami of course agreed to this and said that it would be a perfect time for him to see the other, despite the fact that Asami would've preferred for it to be an earlier time as it would then give him reason to look around and found out what exactly was going on.

Kirishima was very well aware of the fact that Asami was over agitated with everything that was going on so he tried his hardest to keep an additional stresses down.

When Kirishima had gotten ready to go to Hong Kong with Asami, he already knew how far his boss would go to get Takaba back, or at least he guessed how far he'd go thus he brought something very important with him, The document was something that they both knew Yan really wanted, something that he'd even offered to pay a certain high price to get from Asami, of course back then Asami didn't agree to the price stating that it was much to low for what he wanted.

Kirishima knew that at this point in time though that it could be used as a good bargaining chip of something happened and they ended up being found out, or at least Kirishima hoped that Yan would be willing to let Takaba go if he got it.

Evening seemed to go by rather quickly till it was almost time for the meeting to take place. A knock on the outside of the door let Asami know that it was more then likely his escort letting him know that it was time for him to get ready.

Asami was more then slightly surprised to see that his apparent escort was Feilong, and with just one look at the other Asami knew right away that something was off.

"I'm in charge of escorting you to Yan this evening, he is already waiting and expect your presence in the room that has been prepared for the two of you." Feilong told Asami, awhile not looking him directly in the eye as he spoke. Asami knew for a fact that Feilong wasn't one who was very big on betraying, or at least he had never done so before in the past when major problems had come up.

"I'm ready for you escort me over there then." Asami told Feilong, Kirishima following behind the both of them, as he was also very important for the meeting that was going to be taking place.

They hadn't gotten that far before Feilong felt cold metal touching his back and he didn't even have to think to know that Asami had pulled a gun on him.

"Care to explain to me what exactly is going on here." Asami asked, his voice low and dangerous, as Feilong didn't even glance back at him.

"I suggest that you put your gun away for the time being, it's not wise to have it out since you're not in your own territory. As far as with what is currently going on, I have no right to explain to you." Feilong replied, it would've such a simple task for him to just tell Asami everything that was going on, but he knew that if Yan found out he informed him then he knew that more then likely Yan would do something back to Takaba.

"Then I take it that Yan will be the one informing as to what exactly is going on?" Asami then questioned, putting his gun back in place knowing that what Feilong said was true, he'd be stupid to even think about firing off his gun considering he only had Kirishima to protect him and he wasn't even in his own territory so doing something of the sort without seeming to have a reason for it could end up getting him killed.

"When he's ready to, he'll in form you." Feilong replied before continuing to walk in the direction of the room that Yan was in. Asami was clearly not pleased with this answer but knew that he'd have to wait to get the answers that he wanted till later on. He just hoped that with whatever was going on that Takaba was safe and not injured.

Feilong knocked on the door once before opening it and entering the room before stepping to the side to allow Asami to enter after him.

"Asami." Yan acknowledged with a smile as he sat on the tatami mat with his legs tucked under him.  
>"Yan." Asami acknowledged back as he took a seat opposite Yan on the tatami mat that had been laid out for him.<p>

"I am glad that you could make it here tonight, I do apologize for not being able to see you as planned last night, something very important suddenly came up and that took up most of my time last night." Yan apologized taking note of the slightly cold look that Asami gave him.

"It's nothing to apologize for, important things that happen in an establishment such a s yours are something that need to be taken care of sooner rather then later so more problems don't end up breaking out." Asami replied as he lit himself a cigarette. "I take it that you've at least had a chance to look at the deal that I sent you?"

"Oh yes, I looked over as soon as I had a chance to." Yan replied as he pulled the slip of paper that Asami had given him about the deal out of his shirt pocket. "It does look like a rather good place and the price you're offering for isn't that bad either. I think that I'd like to get my hands on it, but at the same time I'd also like a chance to get a closer look at it." Yan replied, glancing over at Feilong who was sitting patiently near his side, the other wasn't really paying attention too much of what was being said or done as his mind was on other things.

"I can easily arrange for that to happen for you, as early as by next week if you'd like." Asami replied, not even having to look at Kirishima to know that the other was checking his schedule over to make sure that he'd have the time for it.

"I'd most certainly like that. It would also give me a chance to think the whole thing over a little better." Yan replied. "How much longer are you planning on staying here for by the way, I know that you and my younger brother had dinner last night so I take it that that gave you a chance to fix what wasn't taken care of when he left?"

"Yes, the problem was already handled. I don't intend to stay here for much longer then another two days or so. " Asami replied as he exhaled the smoke from his mouth, his attention solely focused on Yan as he watched the other's reactions carefully.

"I see, I guess that it's true that you're so busy that you don't have much time to waste on trivial matters." Yan commented with a sigh, seeming disinterested for a second, before turning his full attention to Asami again. "So was informed that you met Milan, what do you think of the Russian boy?"

"We only happened to share dinner together, I didn't speak with him personally, but from what Feilong has told me, it would seem as though he's a rather talented young man." Asami replied.

"It would seem though that he's much more interested in taking over his father's business then becoming a mangaka, or at least that is what Mikhail has told me." Yan commented.

"So it would seem." Asami replied back.

"I also heard word that you managed to get a hold of a very interest young mangaka yourself, a very talented one at that."

"Yes I did, he only started working recently, but he's very good at what he does and I imagine that if he keeps himself going at the pace he currently is he'll have no problem becoming famous." Asami replied.

"Getting a hold of such talent nowadays is rather difficult, so I guess it's best to take what you can while you have the chance. Though I'd be interested in knowing what exactly it would be that you'd give up in order to obtain him of say something were to happen to him." Yan's comment let Asami know what he thought must've happened had happened and Yan was just testing him to see what his answer.

"It would just depend on who had a hold of him and that they wanted in return for handed him back over." Asami replied, keeping a calm demeanor about himself despite knowing the exact direction that things were going on.

"And what exactly would it be that you'd be willing to give me if you found out that I had a hold of him?" Yan then questioned, a dangerous look appearing in his eyes as Asami and him stared each other down.

"It's obvious what it is exactly that you want from me, just for that alone and the way that you tend to speak to me, I'd almost be tempted to not give to you at all." Even Feilong seemed rather surprised by Asami's words, but he understood what he meant. His words caused Yan to chuckle.

"So it would seem as though you're truly as cold and callus as always. I thank you for taking the time to meet me, but I have other things that I must attend to." Yan told Asami as he stood up, the other following suit, as Feilong remained seated, slightly uncertain of what he was supposed to do in his current position.

"I want to tell you now Yan before I leave, that you'd be wise not to do anything stupid at this point in time if you didn't want to suffer the consequences." Yan smirked at Asami's words.

"Even you should know Asami that I prefer to play things on the safer side." Yan replied before Asami left the room.


	20. Chapter 20

By the time that Asami had left Feilong was beyond pissed and it was hard for him not to go off on his older brother, but he knew that doing that wouldn't help anything at all.

"Where is Takaba?" Feilong asked, gritting his teeth to keep his voice in a normal tone. Yan smiled back at his brother when asked this question.

"Patience Feilong, patience. I did tell you that I would let you know where he is once everything has been handle properly? All you have to do make sure that you do as I tell you if you want him to safe."

"What do you plan on doing to Asami?" Feilong asked, quick to note the change of attitude when mentioning the other's name.

"He'll be handled appropriately in due time once I get what I want from him. If he really wants to get his toy back then he better listen to me properly, just like you're doing." Feilong hated being in his current position but he knew that at the current moment in time that there wasn't anything he could do to get out of it. He just hoped that Asami would find a good way to handle the situation. "You're not done yet after all, you still have to prepare everything for out next meeting that is going to happening soon. If everything goes well then you'll be able to see the boy then."

Asami didn't waste a single moment of time once he was away from Yan; he immediately got to the task of calling Yoh. Yoh was someone that he could call without having to worry about the other being bugged because Asami made sure to have him keep four different cell phone on himself at all times. One of the phones he carried on him was specifically made so that it couldn't be bugged or tapped at any time. By the time that Asami's cell phone had rang three times his grip on it tightened, Yoh had never in the past made him wait more then two rings before he'd pick up. Cutting the call since it was obvious that Yoh wasn't going to answer Asami immediately called Souh up and told him to get a tracking on Yoh's cell phone right away and to call him back as soon as he got any information. Once off the phone Asami took in deep breath. He was at even more of stalemate then he was before now that he didn't have the help of either Yoh or Feilong.

Under any other circumstance Asami wouldn't have had a problem pulling a gun on Yan, but since he didn't know who else's strings that man was pulling there wasn't that much he could do until the other approached him about the situation. Asami did however vow to make Yan suffer a living hell if Takaba had been hurt at all.

Asami knew that with everything that was currently going on there wasn't much else he could do besides going back to his room and waiting. Waiting wasn't an entire waste of time for him because it allowed for him to get a better grasp of the situation in front of him.

Asami was well aware of the fact that Mikhail was another route that he could attempt to take, but Asami was more then certain that Yan had already taken care of him to so that he wouldn't be of any assistance. This was honestly the most pissed off that Asami had felt in quite a long time.

Asami wasn't all that surprised that he only had to wait a little under two hours before there was a knock on his door. The unfamiliar face standing there didn't faze but what did happen to faze him was the message that told him that they'd be moving to a different location and he was to follow along especially if he wanted a certain someone to remain safe. A picture showing Takaba unconscious was then handed to Asami. Even though the picture was rather small and wherever it was that he was being held was rather dark Asami didn't miss the large bruise forming on his left cheek.

Asami didn't object to being lead out of the building as the man who was escorting him informed that Yan and the others had already been relocated and he was the only one left to have done so.

Asami slid into the car that they'd stopped in front of when the man had opened the passenger side door for him, Kirishima entering after him. Once both were seated and the doors were locked the car began to move.

Asami would've loved to do nothing more at this point in time then interrogate their driver, but he couldn't be certain about who or what Yan had bugged so he still couldn't take any risks.

The part of Hong Kong that they were traveling through wasn't one that Asami had recognized from his previous visits, thus forcing himself to not only watch the word to know the way back, but also to pay close attention to his watch to see how long it took them to get to their destination. Asami had also shut off his phone at this point in time so that if Souh were trying to contact him he wouldn't be able to get the call.

The drive took a total of about half an hour before the car started to slow down as a large building appeared. At this point Asami didn't refrain from making sure that his gun was ready at his side, he doubted that he'd be in any sort of position to use it but he preferred to be ready just in case.

The car door was opened again for them so that they could get out. Asami surveyed the area around them and wasn't all that surprised to not see any guards posted outside, which more then likely meant Yan was confident that with the trump that he had, he wouldn't need anything else.

Once inside of the building they were leading through the large main room and down a hall before entering another room. Asami took quick note of his surrounds on the fact that the area they were going to be entering was more than likely rather closed off. The hall soon came to an end and another door was opened.

The door lead into a room that looked to be twice the size of the one they had first gone through, there was even a second floor above them that had a platform that went half way over the top of the room. The room was rather empty besides this, looking as though it had been cleared out for the special occasion. The curtains over the windows in the room were pulled so that no natural light was let into the room thus making sure that no one could see in, and also forcing the bright overhead lights to need to be one.

Asami would've though at first that this mightn't have been their last destination and that they might've needed to pass through another room had Yan's voice not filled his ears, causing him to have to take many steps back just so that he could see the top of the platform.

"I'm so pleased that you managed to make it here without any problems." Yan told Asami as he other stared at him with a very cold look from his position down below. Yan kept one hand at his side while the other held onto the nearly unconscious Takaba by the hands that were firmly tied behind his back. Feilong standing nearby at his side, not looking pleased at all. "Now that you're here the main event can begin.


	21. Chapter 21

Takaba wasn't all that certain about what exactly was going on, his head kept feeling as though it was spinning, and no matter how hard he tried to focus his vision, he just couldn't see anything. He knew that this was all due to the drug that Yan had forced him to take, he wasn't told what it was, he was just told to take it if he didn't want to end up getting hit again. He knew that the drug was also the reason why he couldn't hear the voices that were talking so clearly, he knew Yan's just because the other was standing so close behind him, but he was certain that he was also hearing a voice below them too, it sounded familiar to him but he couldn't pinpoint exactly who it belonged to. The worst part for Takaba was the fact that his hands weren't really tied all that tight, but due to the drug sapping most of his strength he didn't really have the energy to do the struggling that was necessary to get them free. Takaba also knew that Yan had a gun, which lessened his want to struggle because he knew that he wouldn't be able to move quicker then the other could shoot.

Asami raised his hand to Kirishima who was getting ready to pull his gun out, Takaba was involved in the situation so he had to be extra careful, not to say that Kirishima would accidentally misfire and hit the mangaka, but rather Yan more then likely also had a weapon on him, otherwise he wouldn't be so confident showing himself since Takaba wasn't much of a shield.

"What is it that you want Yan?" Asami questioned as he took a step forward, "I doubt the fact that you just came here to show off the prize that you managed to collect." Yan smirked when Asami said this.

"As always you're correct, there is something that I want, and both of us already know what it is." Yan replied, Asami mightn't have been able to see Yan shifting his free hand closer to himself but Takaba sure felt it.

"And I'm to trust that if I give that over to you, you'd be willing to hand him back over without any problems?" Asami asked, knowing for a fact that even if Yan said yes to this question that this wouldn't be the fact, Yan was never that simple.

"Perhaps." Yan replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "You probably already know though that it'd be the better option to take, rather then taking the risk that I'd actually kill the boy if you didn't agree, isn't that correct?" Asami knew that Yan was right about this point, but he also knew for a fact that the risk was fifty-fifty, Asami already knew that someone was either going to be hurt or killed in this situation, he just had to make sure that the wrong side wasn't hurt or killed.

Feilong was obviously in position to help by how reserved he was being, and that was more then likely due to the fact that he knew the real danger that Takaba was currently in. Asami also knew that if the document was going to be needed to be delivered directly to Yan that he wouldn't be the one allowed to do it, because Yan was aware of how quick Asami could be in such close quarters.

The moment that Asami had started speaking more Takaba immediately recognized who the person was, which caused him to wish that he could struggle all the more, because Asami more then likely didn't realize exactly how dangerous the situation that he was in was. Yan had a gun on him, Asami more than likely had one on him too, but Takaba doubted the fact that the other would be willing to shoot since he was currently serving as a shield for Yan. His vision was getting better slowly, but it was still very blurry and he had a hard time making out objects that he was looking at unless he focused on them for a short amount of time.

Takaba felt guilty over the fact that he knew the entire situation was his fault, because if he had just tried to force himself a little harder to go to sleep then he'd not have left his room unattended to get a drink and Yan would've more than likely not gotten his hands on him.

"You're sure putting a lot of faith on the fact that I'd be willing to trade over such a important document for a mangaka, are you even that certain that I think he's all that worth it?" Asami questioned as he light up a cigarette.

"Oh?" Yan raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by Asami's words, "Despite the fact that I saw the two of you kissing, I'm to take it that you don't think that he's that important to you?" a light smirk graced Asami's features when Yan asked this question.

"Apparently you're unaware of the fact that certain people wish for a different type of payment from the usual." Asami replied, turning his back to the other as he faced Kirishima. The few seconds of silence after Asami finished speaking was a clear sign that he was starting to hesitate and second-guess his decision.

"Then what is your reason for coming all the way over here, I doubt that it was for a simple change of scenery." Yan was starting to become obviously bothered by Asami's nonchalant attitude towards the boy in his custody, he had been more than certain that he was the main reason why Asami had come over, could he actually have been mistaken about the entire situation.

"Even you Yan should know that I'm a man who likes to make my point." Asami replied, turning to face the other again, a cold mask on his face blocking out any emotions that might've been visible. "You made a stupid decision by taking someone thinking that you'd manage to get what you want from me, I came to make sure that you understand the fact that there's nothing that you can get from me just simply by using force, it'll never work and I want you to clearly understand that point." Yan clearly didn't know what to say in response to Asami's words as his grip on Takaba's wrists tightened almost painfully. "Though I can also be a kind person at the same time." Asami continued once he was certain of the fact that Yan wasn't going to say something. "We wouldn't have ever worked in business together if it wasn't for your father, both of us in our own ways have tried to keep this alliance working, even Feilong has done his part thus far. It's also obvious that this document that I have a hold of is something that you sincerely want. More then likely you've also probably given me more then what you think is fair for what I've given you in return for it. Thus I'll make a special condition this one time and hand this over to you." Asami took the document from Kirishima and showed it to Yan, the other narrowed his eyes at the document though.

"Don't you are move!" Yan snarled as he shoved Takaba forward against the railing and pressed a gun to the back of his head, Takaba noticeable winced from the rough treatment and that caused a fire to blaze in Asami's eyes as he glared hard at the other. Yan was sweating slightly, the pressure obviously starting to become a little too much. "You're not going to be the one to bring that thing up here. I know better then to trust you by letting you come so close to me. Hand it to your guard and have him bring it up here to me." Asami was visible pissed by the other despite the fact that he knew that that was what was going to happen.

"Very well then," Asami replied, his features visible relaxing as he handed over the document to Kirishima who carefully took it. "I'll play the game according to your rules this time." Asami knew that if he could get Yan off balance that there was a higher chance from him to find a chance to get Takaba back without anyone being injured.

Takaba was conscious enough know to hear the words being spoken and he stiffened when he heard that someone was going to be coming up to deliver the document, because he knew that Yan would shoot the moment the other got up here. He knew that at the current moment in time that it'd still be unwise to move until there was a better chance of him being able to do something helpful. He knew that Feilong was nearby and more then likely would be willing to help if he could just get himself free.

Kirishima took slow and careful steps as he made his way up to where Yan was, making sure to hold the document out in front of himself with both hands to prove that he wasn't a threat. He felt more at ease since he was the one allowed to do this job because it meant that Asami wouldn't be in direct danger.

"Stop there." Yan told Kirishima when the guard was only a matter of a few feet away from him, Kirishima did as he was told and stayed still. "Feilong, go over there and take it from him." Feilong gave a nod of his head before carefully approaching Kirishima, making sure to do it in a way that would allow for his brother to still see what exactly was going on.

Once Feilong had the document in his hands he took a step back from Kirishima who did the same.

"Show it to me." Yan told Feilong who carefully opened up the document before showing the other the contents of it. Yan smirked in approval once he saw that it was exactly what he wanted. "You may start coming up now too Asami." Yan told Asami who made his way to slowly start coming up the stairs, his eyes fixed on Yan the entire time. Asami was almost to the top before Yan made his move.

It was during the split second when Yan moved his hand to get ready to point the gun at Kirishima that Takaba decided to move, since there wasn't much of a risk of anyone else being hurt. Swinging his head back he managed to hit Yan directly under the chin causing the other back off some and giving Takaba the space to turn himself around. Still being some what disoriented it took him a few seconds to notice the fact that the gun was now being pointed directly at him, this was more then enough to cause him to freeze again.

Feilong was quick enough to move and think at the same time, he managed to kick his brother's wrist that was holding onto the gun out of the way.

Everything seemed to freeze during the second that the gun went off, before Takaba started falling back over the railing.

"Takaba!" Asami shouted as he watched the boy begin to make his downward descent.


	22. Chapter 22

Asami was beyond pissed as he watched Takaba fall, and if it wasn't for the fact that Feilong had already disabled his brother Asami wouldn't have hesitated to shoot Yan who was currently unconscious. Right now though, the important thing to Asami was getting to Takaba. Everything was spinning for Asami was he went down the stairs to at a time, as he got closer to reaching Takaba's still form on the ground floor. Asami had seen the bullet hit the other, but he didn't see the exact location of where it hit, he just knew that it was on the left side.

Once Asami had reached Takaba he immediately kneeled down next to the still form to assess the injury that he had. He saw blood before he actually saw the site of where the exact wound was and that made his heart freeze for just a second before he saw the boy stir slightly. Feilong was near Asami's side by this time and could see that Takaba was still alive. Kirishima stood a few feet away from the three of them, making sure to stay on alert in case something else happened.

Takaba's eyelids flickered for a few seconds before he actually began to open them. His vision was still blurry at first, but he could still make out a figure's face looking down at him. It wasn't until a few seconds after his eyes had focused that he managed to see that the person was Asami. It was at this moment in time that all of his emotions decided to rush to the surface, fear and concerning being the strongest out of them all. Completely ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Takaba sat straight up and wrapped his arms around Asami's shoulders, burying his face in the other's chest as his tears began to fall, as he couldn't bring himself to hold them back any longer.

Asami seemed surprised and uncertain about what to do with the sudden rush of emotions from the boy. He had never actually felt much for another person when they were crying, but with the mangaka he felt something that he wasn't certain about.

"Don't pull my heart like that." Asami whispered as he wrapped his arms around the crying boy, not caring who was watching the two of them.

Feilong felt the most relief out of all of them after the sharp turn that everything took, he knew that his brother could be bad, but he didn't think that he could get that out of hand.

"My, my, such a touching reunion, too bad that it isn't going to last for much longer." All eyes turned to look up at the second floor where Yan was standing with gun in hand. Asami was quick to move himself in front of the clearly fazed Takaba who wasn't certain what to do when the gun turned in their direction.

Kirishima already had his gun out by this point but he wasn't certain that he'd be able to make the shot.

"Now that I've gotten what I want there's no reason for anyone else here to survive." Yan stated, staring down such a cold look from Asami that'd usually cause any other person in their tracks to freeze from the intensity of it, but it was obvious that Yan didn't care. Yan cocked the trigger back as he got ready to fire the gun.

A gun going off could be heard followed by a sickening gurgle sound as a body dropped to the floor. Once everything else became silent heavy breathing could be heard followed by scuffing footsteps of a person who was almost too tired to move their own weight.

The only who seemed wholly surprised to see the figure that appeared over the edge of the terrace was Feilong, for he had thought the other to have been dead by now.

Yoh had blood dripping down from his right arm but he still stood as best as could near the edge of the terrace for the others to see.

Asami knew with the sight of Yoh that the other must've killed Yan, meaning that he could turn his attention back to Takaba. The mangaka was gripping the front of his suit so tightly that it actually restricted some of his movements. Takaba was also visible shaking as he kept his head firmly pressed against the other's chest in an attempt to block everything out.

"Everything is over now." Asami told Takaba, the other not seeming to hear his words or shifting from his protective position.

Takaba wasn't allowed to stay in his protective position for that long before Asami knew that he needed to get the boy and Yoh to the hospital. Takaba was still horrible shaken up by everything and Asami had to force the other to move as he stared ahead and nothing in particular.

Feilong was the one to drive all of them to hospital, making sure to call his own personal staff first to let them know that he'd be bringing two patients with gunshot wounds, one in more critical condition then the other. Feilong made sure that once he was doing calling the hospital to call someone to take care of his brother's body, and to make sure that the entire situation was carefully cleaned up so that on one could look into it.

The trip to the hospital took fifteen minutes at most and the staff was already standing outside waiting for them, two stretchers at the ready. Though he didn't protest with words Takaba was visible displeased to be taken away from Asami as he was placed on one of the two stretches that whisked him away into the hospital.

It wasn't until nearly ten minutes after Takaba had been taken into the hospital that Asami entered it. He had taken that time to change his suit and dress shirt as Takaba had gotten blood all over them, to smoke over four cigarettes and to get his emotions under control.

He wasn't all that surprised when he entered the hospital and went to the waiting room to see the light above the ER to still be on. Feilong was visible stressed as he sat staring at the neon red sign with his hands clasped on his lap. Asami didn't say a word as he took a seat near the other, his composure much calmer then that of his companion.

The silence only lasted for a few moments before Feilong spoke up.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" he asked Asami, not taking his eyes off the light.

"About?" Asami questioned back despite knowing exactly what the other was taking about.

"I put your boy in danger and could've possible ended up getting him killed." Feilong replied, glancing over at Asami to see no visible emotions on his face.

"You might've been part of the reason why all of this happened, but it was obviously not your intentions to try and get him killed." Asami replied, "Yan was the one who decided to make things more complicated." Feilong simply felt sorry for his brother due to the fact that he knew that if his brother had tried harder that he could've made things work better between him and Asami. Asami had tried to make things work well for the two of them; Yan just didn't seem to understand all that much how to handle the situation. "Are you planning on taking over that side of the organization too?" Asami questioned.

"Not right away, with everything that is going on I think that it is best to have it shut down for a while and let things work themselves out before continuing it. My brother made such a mess of everything that it is going to be such a hard task to get everything back to the way that it used to be." Feilong replied. The conversation didn't get a chance to get much further before the red ER light went off and the door opened to reveal the doctor.


	23. Chapter 23

The doctor who came out was an older looking Chinese man and by the expression on his face it didn't seem as though anything had gone wrong. The man took of his latex gloves as he approached the two, both Asami and Feilong were standing by the time that he reached them.

This was one of the few times that Asami was pleased that he knew Cantonese because while the man didn't have the worst Japanese it was most certainly rather broken and hard to follow so he was pleased that he could tell the man almost fluently that he could change back to speaking in Cantonese.

"Takaba Akihito's wound isn't that bad, the bleeding has already stopped and the amount of blood that was lost wouldn't need a transfusion to recover. He also has a mild concussion, but nothing that will leave any permanent damage. More then anything it would appear as though he's suffering greatly from shock, I'm currently administrating some medicine from that and he is starting to calm down some." It wasn't the worst report that they could've received.

"And the other, how is he doing?" Asami then questioned. The doctor sighed when he was asked this question; Feilong took this as a sign that things weren't well with Yoh.

"While he most certainly is in worst condition, he's currently stable." The doctor replied, "The wound was deep and quite a bit more blood has been lost, I don't know exactly how long time between when he got the wound and when was able to be brought here was, but thanks to the fact that the area where he got shot was mostly muscle he managed to survive for this long. Despite the amount of blood loss I wouldn't suggest a transfusion, though I would say that it'd be better for him to stay in the hospital for a few days extra just to make sure that he gets enough rest and that his condition doesn't deteriorate." It was easy to tell that Feilong was greatly relieved by this news.

It took about another additional fifteen minutes to finish taking everything over with the doctor and once everything was said and done Feilong refused to allow Asami to pay for any of the medical expenses, simply stating the fact that he was going to pay for them because a majority of what had happened was his fault, and Feilong made sure to leave no space for Asami to argue with him on this matter.

Once that had been taken care Asami immediately went off to go see Takaba while Feilong went to go and check up on Yoh.

While Asami didn't knock on the door he made sure to open to slowly as to not bother the other, but despite this Takaba still jumped visible from his position on the bed, looking over at Asami quickly before he averted his gaze back down to the bed he was in. Asami entered the room and shut the door behind himself, making his way over to the bed he sat down into the chair that'd been placed next to it without saying a word. Takaba's head was wrapped and his left arm had and Iv in it besides the wraps that had been done around his shoulder to protect his injury. He had been changed out of his bloody clothes and was now just wearing a hospital gown.

The silence stayed like this for quite some time with Asami doing nothing more then studying Takaba who wasn't even daring to look at him, but preferred to stay staring down at the sheets in front of him in what seemed to be some sort of trance that Asami presumed was from the medication that the doctor was giving to him. The doctor had already told Asami that Takaba was going to need a bit of time before he'd return to his normal self and Asami had no problem giving that much to the boy as long as the other didn't intend on pushing him away.

"He said that he was going to kill you." Takaba's voice was cracked and hoarse as he spoke, his eyes still looking down as Asami glanced over at him. "He said that if I didn't listen to him then bad things were going to happen. He also said that I was going to be your downfall now that he had a hold of me" Takaba's hand was starting to shake noticeable at this point as he continued speaking, his hands starting to clench the sheets tightly. "Then he shot Yoh, because Yoh said that he didn't want to betray you anymore, because he said what Yan was doing was foolish and wrong. He said that everything that was going on with Yan wasn't your fault but Yan's. He also threatened to shoot Feilong if he didn't listen to him." Takaba was slightly started when Asami placed his hand on top of the other's shaking ones.

"And what exactly did he do to you?" Asami questioned in a low tone of voice.

"He hit me twice and forced me to take some strange drugs. He threatened to touch me, but Feilong called him off from doing that and then Yan agreed with him, saying that I was probably too filthy to be touched anyway, that you're hands had already defiled me." Takaba stopped speaking at this point, his lips pursed tightly together, his hand relaxing some as Asami continued to hold on them.

"And do you think that you're filthy and defiled from being touched by me?" Takaba seemed to freeze when Asami asked him this question and it took him several seconds before he shook his head, uncertain what words to use to respond this question, as his throat felt too tight to answer.

Asami was careful as he shifted his weight onto the bed not to the hurt the other as he put himself over the mangaka, his hands boxing the sides of the other's head as Takaba leaned away from him, flinching slightly when a hand came up to caress one of the bruises on his face.

"And do you understand why someone like him would say something like that to you?" Asami questioned as he forced the boy to stare him directly in the eyes. "Do you?" Asami questioned as he leaned his head further down so their faces were mere inches from touching. Takaba shook his head in response to this question. "It's because people like him are jealous of such pure and innocent people like you." Asami whispered into the other's ear as he grazed the sensitive flesh.

"What're you-" Takaba didn't get to finish his question before Asami kissed him, gently at first before it became rather rough, Asami was still very careful not to hurt the boy though as he nipped the other's bottom lip to ask for permission into his mouth. Takaba allowed entrance without hesitation and responded to the kiss as though he was holding onto his last remaining life line, Asami was pleased by this response and it let him know that it was safe from him to continue from this point.

Once the kiss was broken they stared into each other's eyes for quite some time, before Asami moved one of his hands under the hospital gown to graze over the other's flesh, Takaba arched his back from the skin contact, as the other teased his nipples, the bed creaking slightly from their actions. Asami's head moved down to the other's neck as he began to kiss and suck on the gentle skin, earning himself a hand skimming through his hair as Takaba leaned his neck to allow the other better access to the skin.

Asami knew that before they could go much further that they'd have to shift positions so that Takaba wouldn't get hurt, but before they even got this far there was a soft knock on the door before someone cleared their throat.

"I thought that you were just supposed to be coming to check up on the patient, not immediately start molesting him." Asami glared over at Feilong as Takaba buried his head in the other's chest, his face bright red from embarrassment as Feilong smirked at the two of them.


	24. Chapter 24

The following day Takaba somehow managed to convince both doctor and Asami that he felt good enough to be allowed to leave the hospital. His arm was still in a great deal of pain but he simply refused to take the pain killers, even when Asami tried to force him to, this usually just ended up causing Takaba to shy away from the older man as best he could because he still wasn't one hundred percent back to normal. Since Takaba didn't have anything to wear once changed out his hospital gown, so Feilong brought over some of his old clothes, though they happened to be formal Chinese clothing, they fit Takaba very well.

Asami wasn't able to spend as much time with him either, not that it horrible bothered him, but it did make him wonder what the older man was up to. Takaba just knew that whatever the problem was it was causing them to have to wait longer to go back to Japan, and also the reason why he found himself back at Feilong's estate once out of the hospital. Tao was happy to see that he was back, and even though the boy asked him many questions and bothered him about a number of different things, he was well aware of Takaba's injure and didn't get too close so he wouldn't end up hurting the other.

Takaba was happy for the company since Asami wasn't there because Feilong insisted that he take a shower since he didn't take one the night before after Takaba had gotten blood all over him. Takaba like having Asami near by just because of his presence, the older man didn't have to say or do anything he just needed to be nearby for the mangaka to feel safer.

Tao stopped talking the moment footsteps started approaching the room and voices could be heard. The voices stopped speaking right outside of the door and when the door opened and both Feilong and Asami appeared, Takaba was heavily surprised by the sight of Asami wearing formal Chinese wear, not to say that the clothes didn't suit the older man, because in Takaba's opinion they suited him almost too well. Of course when Asami looked directly at him he still couldn't keep the eye contact and ended up looking away, a very faint blush visible on his face. Feilong couldn't help but to smirk at the boy's reaction, because that meant that what he had told Asami was correct.

Takaba had yet to take a shower himself because the doctor said it would be best to wait another day or two so the injury didn't end up opening up under the hot water, this also meant though that Takaba was forced to keep his hair blond up until the point that he could wash the dye out of it.

"Will you feel up to joining us for lunch?" Feilong questioned Takaba who glanced over at him before giving him a small nod. He was still not talking anywhere near as much as he should be or as he used to, but he was still trying his hardest to do what he could when he felt up to it.

Asami knew that it was rather painful for the mangaka to stand up, and that was the reason why he was always standing there to support the other when it happened, it was also because the older man didn't want the other to suddenly jerk himself so that he ended up hurting his injury worse.

Walking wasn't a problem for Takaba once he was up and standing, at least as long as he remembered to keep his injured arm as close to his body as possible, the pain tended to hardly be there.

Since Yoh had been injured, once they were in the dinning room and seated, an unknown servant had brought the food for them and seat the table. It had almost been two full days since Takaba had last eaten and despite the fact that he was rather hungry, he wasn't all that certain as to how much his stomach was going to allow him to eat. Feilong was seated opposite of Takaba and Asami who were sitting directly next to each other. Takaba was over pleased about the fact that it had been his right arm to get injured and not his left, because had it been his right arm eating would've become an almost impossible task to do on his own despite the fact that he'd force himself to do it as best as possible. Eating was still slightly painful due to the fact that whenever Takaba used his chopsticks to try and pick anything up it caused him to have to lean his right arm forward which indirectly caused his left arm some pain, though Takaba didn't pay it much attention as he was too preoccupied with eating.

"You know, I do have some very interesting information that Mikhail happened to send over to me." Feilong commented about halfway through them almost having finished lunch.

"And that would be?" Asami questioned though he wasn't all that interested in knowing what it was.

"It just so happens that Mikhail actually does have a half cousin called Milan." Feilong replied, catching Takaba's attention with this information. "He says though that Milan and Takaba's personalities vary quite a bit. He says though that Takaba would most certainly be the easier cousin to have to handle simply due to the fact that, Milan happens to be more into your type of business, Asami."

"Doesn't surprise me that much, I know one side of his family tilted more towards the black market business, though I was never aware of the fact that he had a cousin on that side."

"You may want to consider taking him under you one time, it might ease Mikhail's mind some to know that he's being taken care of by someone who's not so rough to him." Feilong commented earning himself a slightly raised eyebrow from the other, more then likely questioning if Feilong honestly thought he'd be gentle with Mikhail's cousin.

"Now moving onto a matter that is a touch more important." Feilong said, "As far as you two being able to go back to Japan in peace, it'll take at least three days for that to be able to happen. I would lessen the time to one day if I could, but I'm still not in complete control of everything so that is the best I could."

"Well if you had decided to take care of the matter yourself before just deciding to drag Takaba over here, this wouldn't be a problem right now." Asami replied, obviously slightly annoyed by the dilemma.

"Oh come now, would you rather have to be waiting six weeks or just three days to get his passport?" Feilong questioned, receiving a narrow eyed look from Asami. "Besides that, it'll give the two of you some time to relax and recover after everything that has happened."

Takaba had totally forgotten about the fact that he'd need a passport to get back to Japan because of the way that Feilong brought him over. With limited amount of money that the mangaka made before he got into Asami's business he hadn't ever thought there was a need to get a passport till he had a lot of money because of how expensive they tended to be.

The rest of lunch was eating in silence, by the time the meal was done though Takaba's arm was starting to hurt quite a great deal though he tried his best to hide the amount of pain that he was in as he leaned back into the chair to give it some relief. He was also starting to feel tried though it was only a little afternoon, he figured that this was more then likely due to the fact that the night before at the hospital he wasn't able to get any sleep whatsoever, not just because of the pain that he was in, but also due to everything that was on his mind.

"It'd probably be best if the two of you were to retire to your room for the time being."

"Room?" Takaba questioned, though Asami seemed to be calm about what Feilong had said, because Takaba was worried there was an error with Feilong only saying 'room' because that could easily be taken as them sharing a room, and Takaba really hoped that this wasn't the case.

"Yes, you two are sharing one." Feilong stated with a smile. Takaba wasn't very thrilled with this idea, and it didn't really have anything to do with Asami, it more had to do with him and the fact that he knew he was going to be in a lot more pain come nightfall, or at least he suspected that he would be as that is what happened the night before. Takaba didn't try to fuss too much despite the pain that he was in, but he was worried that if he moved around too much or made too much noise it'd end up bothering Asami if he was trying to sleep and that is what he wanted to try and avoid doing. He didn't want to object to this though because he didn't want the matter to be taking the wrong way so he just decided that he'd try his best to handle the issue and try not to bother Asami too much.


	25. Chapter 25

Takaba felt guilty over the fact that Asami had to help him walk to their room because of how bad the pain in his arm was, he tried not to let it bother him too much, but he couldn't really find a comfortable position to hold it in that didn't cause him a lot of pain, Asami was being rather quiet too and bothered Takaba some, not that he expected Asami to be speaking to him, but he just didn't really like it when the other was silent.

Sleep didn't want to come easy to him either as he lay on the bed with his eyes closed, listening to Asami talking on his cell phone in a hushed tone, Takaba found it to be some what relaxing to just lay there and listen to the other's voice as he talked. Takaba had decided after a few more minutes of doing nothing more then laying there that he wasn't going to be able to sleep no matter how hard he tried and that it would be better for him to just get up. Though this wasn't much of an option at the current moment in time because Asami was on the phone and while he was certain that he might be able to manage getting up on his own, he wasn't certain that he could do it without making too much noise and catching the other's attention. So for the time being Takaba just decided to roll onto his other side so that he could face Asami while at the same time not hurt his arm.

Asami had his back to Takaba as he stood near the opposite end of the room, folder in hand as he continued talking on his cell phone. Watching the older man was somewhat inspiring to Takaba and made him feel the urge to want to start drawing. Takaba knew exactly where everything that he needed was, it was just simply the matter of being able to get up and reach them.

Biting his bottom lip Takaba shifted his weight to his right side as he used his arm to help him sit up slowly, trying as much as he could not to make the bed creak with his actions, as he also tried to keep his breathing even. Though what he was doing did hurt, the pain wasn't anywhere near as bad as he had expected it to be. Once sitting up he was able to use his legs to help shift himself to the opposite side of the bed where the desk that held his supplies was. So far he didn't seem to be bothering Asami with all of the movement he was making and this pleased him greatly.

Standing up was the next difficult task that he was going to have to face, more so because he didn't know exactly how he was going to be able to keep his balance. He had yet to try standing up on his own because Asami had always helped him before.

Takaba took his time at this point, keeping his arm close to his body as he slowly began to rise, once up off the bed a small amount he forced himself to turn around so that he could better use his right arm to support his bodies weight as he moved himself to a full standing position, pleased that he had yet to alert Asami as to what it was that he was doing.

Making his way over to the desk he managed to pull out the chair without making any sound and seat himself before staring to rummage through his draws for the proper supplies that he was looking. Once he had pulled out his proper drawing utensils and his pad he was able to start drawing right away.

The only thing that Takaba found utterly frustrating was the fact that he couldn't hold the paper still properly, that was usually the job of his left hand, but because of the injury he wasn't able to pull as far forward as he would've liked to. He still tried his hardest to use what he had around his desk though to accomplish this task and he managed to get somewhat into the picture he was drawing. Takaba knew that he was fairly good at drawing though he hardly ever thought that what he did was good enough to gain himself a lot of attention, what he was drawing currently though was even surprising him by how good it looked though it was a struggle to do. Takaba was startled when a large hand to came to rest on the corner of the paper and steady it so it didn't shift so much while he drew.

Asami didn't say anything as he continued to watch the boy draw, it was only mere outlines and sketches of things at the current moment in time, but Asami could already tell that it was going to turn into something magnificent once the other was done with it.

Takaba was finding that as he continued to draw that there was more then one thing that he needed his left arm for that he didn't really pay much attention to before. Such as the need for his ruler and such objects in order to make sure that he was drawing straight and that everything was perfectly where he wanted it. Takaba proceed without it though because he didn't want to bother Asami by making the other have to do more then he already was.

Takaba took a break after about ten minutes when the drawing was almost totally complete. Leaning back in his chair he released a sigh as he looked over the work he was doing, the work wasn't that bad though there were a few places that he knew he could do some better work on.

"Thank you." Takaba said as the silence continued even after he stopped drawing, Asami didn't say anything to this though as he continued to stare down at the piece of paper intently.

Asami wasn't certain what the boy's current inspiration was, but whatever it was it seemed to cause his talent to explode, the drawing that he had been working on was one of the best ones that Asami had seen the other do so far. Asami could easily tell that if the boy's talent continued to grow at such a quick pace there wasn't going to a problem at all with him becoming famous, because the boy happened to draw in a way that drew people into the story.

Takaba wanted to keep drawing though he knew that he'd have to take breaks more often for the sake of his left arm so it wouldn't hurt so much, but at the same time he didn't want to bother Asami because he was certain that the other would feel the need to sit there the entire time that he was writing and hold the piece of paper if that is what the other needed him to do. This would just cause him to feel guilty though because the older man had already done so much for him by just coming to get him and then because he rescued him for Yan, there was no way that he could ask for more from him.

As it happened though Asami seemed to pick what the problem was quite quickly when Takaba didn't draw anymore after the first bit of work he did though Asami was certain that there still had more ideas that were floating around in his head that he wanted to get down on paper. Asami was the more stubborn out of the two surprisingly and by the way that he came to Takaba with the issue, the mangaka already knew that he wasn't going to be able to get anywhere with the other, so even though Takaba protested a small amount to this the older man didn't budge a bit on his decision.

It was only later that evening when Asami had forced Takaba to sit back down and continue to work on what he was originally doing. At first Takaba was feeling a little too self-conscious to really start getting into drawing as Asami sat near by him holding the piece of paper while watching and waiting to see what the other would do.

Takaba knew that he was going to have to get over this problem sooner or later because of the amount of time he knew that it was going to take for his arm to heal. He had been published before everything had happened and if he wanted to get people to continue reading then he was going to have to get something done soon before the next edition of the magazine that Asami had him published in came out.

It was almost a laugh worthy matter though for Takaba to even think about considering Asami as his assistant, not that he didn't think the other could do it, more so because he couldn't imagine Asami in the position of assistant, it just didn't fit the other's image. There was lot though that Takaba knew was going to need from Asami if intended on getting any of the pages that he was going to be working on fully complete.

It was hard for Takaba to ask for things and even harder for him to direct Asami as to what exactly it was that he needed from the other, but surprisingly Asami understood things rather quickly and Takaba didn't have to go to that much trouble to get the other to do exactly what he needed. It was rather peaceful in some ways for Takaba for the two of them to just be sitting there in silence as they worked. Asami didn't seem so intimidating at this point in time and it let Takaba relax some.


	26. Chapter 26

Things went on like this between Takaba and Asami for about a day and a half. They didn't just spend the entire time in the room together though; they of course came out at meals and also for other short breaks because he couldn't just keep sitting down all the time not only of the sake of trying to get his left arm to work better, but also because he needed more inspiration. He didn't go too far though, mostly staying inside of Feilong's estate or going not very far outside of it to get some fresh air. Hong Kong really was beautiful and Takaba found the scenery to be rather inspiring, especially when he looked out towards the ocean, though he didn't tend to this for too long because then it usually caused him to start thinking about Japan and that just made him want to go home right then and there though he knew that he was still going to have to wait a while longer before being able to do this. Feilong had told that it'd be another two days at most before he and Asami would be able to return home, he had even apologized about the time that they had to wait. Takaba told him though that it wasn't any problem because there was a lot for him to do to distract him until that point in time.

Takaba also found that sharing a bed with Asami wasn't as hard as he expected it to be, Asami surprisingly gave him quite a bit of room to move around, and in return Takaba tried his hardest not to shift around too much at night or make any noise even if he was pain. The only problem with the position that Takaba had to lay in with the position Asami preferred to lie in was that Takaba was always facing the older man while he slept and it was always the easiest for him to fall asleep while staring at the other. Takaba was thankful for the fact that Asami tended to fall asleep rather quickly so he didn't have to deal with any ideas that older man might get while he stared at him when attempting to go to sleep. A certain part of Takaba would've still preferred it better if they'd been able to sleep in their own rooms, but he did the best to deal with what he got, knowing more then likely Asami would refuse to sleep anywhere else but in the same room with the other.

Takaba was surprised though that one the last day of their stay there that Feilong was taking them out to eat. Though Feilong had explained that he was doing it most for Takaba, but would be extremely pleased if Asami would come with them.

Takaba's wound had to be rewrapped at this point and his clothes were also changed that evening before they got ready to leave. As usually Asami accompanied him the entire way till they got into the car and were seated.

Takaba and Asami shared the back seat while Feilong was their driver. The sun had pretty much set by the time that they started driving off so most of the lights in the city were on.

This all caught Takaba's attention greatly as he stared out the window while looking at the Hong Kong scenery. Besides what the Mangaka had been able to see from Feilong's estate, he hadn't had much of a chance to actually go looking around Hong Kong. He still couldn't get as good a look as he wanted to of everything because his left shoulder didn't completely let him turn to the side.

Of course seeing everything set out before him caused his artistic mind to start working at a rather quick pace and causing him to feel that much more inspired then before. Though because they were going out to eat Takaba would have to wait till later to get his ideas down on paper, hopefully when Asami wasn't going to be there to feel like he needed to help the other with his work.

Feilong was pleased to see just how much Takaba had lit up while just being able to get a chance to see Hong Kong from their current point, he could only imagine how much more the boy would react when he was able to see Hong Kong from the point of view that he wanted to show it to the other at.

"Well here we are." Feilong stated as he stopped the car in front of a very tall building. Takaba tried to look out the front of the vehicle to see where exactly there at, but again because of his shoulder he couldn't really do it.

Again Takaba had to wait for someone's help to get out of the car because he couldn't open his own door with his left arm. It wasn't as hard for him to stand up though because he had a bi more support with the back of the car to lean up against so he didn't lose his balance.

Takaba was amazed by how exactly tall the building they had stopped in front of was. Takaba didn't even want to think about how expensive it would be to eat at this kind of place,

Feilong showed a man who was guarding the front of a building a pass, the stepped to the side and bowed after taking a look at the pass as he allowed the three of them to enter the building.

The inside of the building looked more expensive then the outside tried to show. Not many people were around as they walked down two of the halls before stopping in front of the elevators. Takaba was making sure to keep himself near to Asami as Feilong walked a ahead of them to lead the way. Asami didn't have anything to say, as he was more interested in watching the boy and his strong fascination with everything.

Takaba's mouth dropped once they were inside the elevator and he saw just exactly how many floors there were to the building as Feilong pressed one of the higher up numbers. Takaba didn't really like elevators all that much and even less so when he had a hurt arm just simply because the pressure of it all caused his left arm to feel uncomfortable.

Despite how many floors they were going up, the trip in the elevators was surprisingly short. As the elevator doors opened up there was a man standing outside who bowed at the three of them, by his outfit Takaba guessed that he was probably going to be escorting them and when Feilong gave a nod of his head to the man the mangaka knew he was right.

The man lead them down three halls before they came to stop in front of a door which the man opened before stepping to the side with a bow. Takaba took note of the fact that the room wasn't all that well lit as they entered it.

Inside the room there was yet another man waiting to attend to them. This one by his outfit looked to be waiter. The waiter pulled out at least two of the chairs that were set around the circle table. Feilong held his hand up before Takaba took his seat, stopping the other while he was still approaching the chair.

"Tonight rather then having too much light on the inside, I'd prefer if the blinds could be pulled to let the city light in." Feilong told the waiter who bowed to him when he made this request.

"As you wish then." The waiter replied before heading over to the window to take care of Feilong's request. Feilong watched Takaba's expression carefully as the waiter began to draw up the blinds of the huge window that took up a large section of the back wall in the room.

Takaba's eyes lit up in amazement at the sight that spread out before him. Takaba could only remember seeing such a sight once before, and that was when he had gone up to the Tokyo tower one year with his friends when they had a little extra money and wanted to do something fun together.

Takaba carefully made his way over to the window as the waiter stepped to the side so that he could get a better look outside. The different colored lights of the city mixed well with the sizes of the building to create such an extravagant sight for Takaba. Takaba knew very well that it was his artistic side of himself that really enjoyed seeing such sights as the one before him. Something like the sight in front of him could leaving him standing there staring out at it for hours or at least until the sun rose before of how beautiful it was.

Feilong was very pleased by the boy's reaction, it was even better then he had expected it to be. Glancing over to Asami he saw that the other was just standing there and watching the mangaka intently. Both were patient enough to wait for the other however long he wanted stand there watching outside.

Takaba restrained himself though knowing that there two people waiting on him to eat. Turning away from the window he gave a small apologize before making his way back over to the table as Asami pulled out the chair for the mangaka. The waiter came back over the table once the three of them were seated and handed them menus to decide what they wanted to order. Takaba of course couldn't order what he wanted himself just simply because everything was in Cantonese and he couldn't read it so well. Asami understood his predicament right away and was quick to order something for the other, even though Takaba couldn't even understand what he said.

Since they were done order the waiter left the room to take care of the orders, promising to be back shortly with the food. It wasn't that long after the waiter had left the room that Asami's phone started ringing, he glanced at it to see who was calling and by the fact that he had excused himself from the room it must've meant that it was call that needed to be taking care of thus leaving Takaba and Feilong alone.

"It would seem that your relationship with Asami is progressing rather well." Feilong commented, gaining Takaba's attention as the other had been looking towards the large window again. "Or at least I presume that it is since the two of you have been spending so much time together." Feilong didn't miss the light blush on Takaba's face the other glanced down at the table.

"We haven't really been doing a lot together." Takaba replied as he glanced back over at Feilong who was clearly amused. "He's just been helping me while I've been busy drawing."

"Hmm, and here I was so certain that he'd be much more aggressive with you, especially with what I saw in your hospital room a few days ago." Takaba's blush darkened when Feilong mentioned what happened in the hospital room. "Though I suppose that he could've changed from how he used to be. He does certainly seem to be much more open in certain ways then he used to be." Feilong mused catching Takaba's attention.

"Is it possible that you used to like Asami?" Takaba questioned earning himself a rather surprised look from Feilong before he laughed in response to the question that he asked.

"Goodness no." Feilong replied with a smile, greatly amused with the boy's question. "Asami and I may seem close but neither of us have ever had feelings for each other, though because of my brother I wouldn't have even dared to think about developing feelings for Asami." Feilong explained seemed preoccupied with something before turning his attention back to Takaba, his eye lids dropped a small amount as he reached his hand across the table, "Though if I did have to choose between the two you." His voice dropped a tone as he continued speaking, his hand now on top of Takaba's who was clearly startled by what he was doing. "I think that I would have to choose you. You're much more adorable then Asami." Takaba's mouth opened once and then twice as he wasn't certain what to say in response to what Feilong had just said to him. Feilong laughed as he used his hand to cover his mouth, the reaction that he had gotten from Takaba was much better then he had expected. "Please don't take anything that I just said to heart, I'm only enjoying teasing you." Feilong told Takaba with a grin as the other looked away from him with a bright red blush on his face. Feilong could only imagine just exactly how much Asami would enjoy teasing the poor innocent boy in front of him. "Just make sure to tread carefully with Asami, he can be a real predator at times." Takaba didn't get a chance to ask Feilong what he meant by this before Asami returned to the room, glancing at both of them, the blush thankfully was mostly gone from Takaba's face at this point in time so he didn't have to explain anything.

The waiter returned not long after Asami and the meal was set down before them. The food was delicious though not much talking was done through the course of it and it was surprisingly short though enjoyable.

Takaba was thoroughly exhausted by the time that they'd returned the car and Feilong was driving them back to his estate. The mangaka was so tried that he couldn't stop himself from falling asleep while leaning up against Asami's shoulder, so the tired that he didn't end up waking up till the next morning.

Asami had to wake up Takaba early because of the time that they'd gotten the flight for, thankfully he had waited long enough so that he was able to enjoy a nice shower with Asami's help and finally get his hair back to the original color.

Feilong was there to see there flight off and whispered something into Takaba's ear that caused him to blush while Asami glared at the other, though not exactly certain as to what he told the boy. Takaba couldn't contain his excitement as they boarded the plan because he was finally getting to go home.


	27. Chapter 27

Takaba was ecstatic the moment they returned to Japan, it felt like ages since he had last been there, Asami didn't even try to stop him as he bolted ahead of the older man as he got off the plane, not even paying attention to the pain in his left arm that was caused from him doing this. Asami mightn't have stopped him at that moment in time, but soon he would be learning that Asami was going to be putting some boarders on him since he was still injured.

Souh had the limousine stationed right outside of the airport and Takaba didn't make any objections as the door was opened so that he could enter it. Asami slid in right after him, still not saying anything to the mangaka who was staring intently out the car windows and oh so familiar and pleasing scenery around them. Asami couldn't help but to smirk as he watched the other behaving like a child, seemingly back to his normal self.

Takaba hadn't been paying that much attention as to where exactly the limousine was taking, as he was so pleased just to be back that he didn't really care where exactly it was they were going until they had reached their destination.

"Where exactly are we at?" Takaba questioned as the limousine door was opened for him to get out after Asami.

"We're at my pent house." Asami replied, turning to face the boy whose mouth had dropped when Asami told him this.

"Why didn't you drop me off at my apartment before coming here?" Takaba questioned,

"Because you're not going to be staying there for the time being." Asami replied locking stares with the boy to make sure that the other wasn't going to start up an argument over this with him. "You're still injured and I'm not going to allow you to stay there on your own, for the time being you'll be staying here with me. Everything from your old apartment has already been moved over here ahead of time." Takaba was in total disbelief of what Asami was telling as he stood with his mouth gaping open and closed.

"Don't I even get a say as to what I'd like in this situation?" Takaba questioned despite the fact that he was already following directly behind Asami as the other made his way towards the doors, which were already open for him. The glanced back at look that he was given was more then to let Takaba know that he was going to deal with the situation like it or not.

Takaba was still overly thrilled to be back in Japan, though he was now somewhat deflated knowing that he wasn't going to be having the full freedom that he had been looking forward to. He couldn't argue with Asami though because even he wasn't all that certain that he'd be able to take care of himself properly if he were to start living on his own so soon after being injured as he still found almost all simply task to be not so simple with the injury he had.

Just because Takaba was being forced to stay where Asami wanted him to, this didn't mean that there weren't a few certain things that he couldn't be firm with the other on, though most were already lost battles before they started.

Takaba had already gotten over the fact that they'd be sharing a room knowing how Asami would react if he argued over this so he didn't even try. He simply refused though to allow others to do basically everything for him, especially Asami, Takaba didn't like to be pampered that much and it irked him to no end when other's tried to take care of everything for him.

Nothing really changed all that much with the two of them living together, and if anything Asami was the one who was more bothered with everything then Takaba, the biggest problems stemming directly from the mangaka. The most major one being the fact that he didn't eat on that much of a regular basis unless food was forced in front of him, he tended to get too distracted drawing to do remember the fact that needed to eat something to keep himself going.

Asami could bring food to him when he was in one of his states where he had so many ideas floating around in his head that he wanted to get them down, but even when he told the boy that he needed to eat something the other would either totally ignore his existence or say that he'd eat sometime soon. Asami knew very well though that there'd be no eating sometime soon with the other because he'd more then likely just forget about the existence of the food that was placed near him. so Asami just ended up getting to the point where he'd just rip pen and paper away from Takaba. Of course with Takaba still being injured there wasn't much he could do besides verbally object to what Asami was doing and this of course didn't get him much of anywhere because Asami wouldn't budge no matter how much he protested about the treatment.

Asami tended to sit near by Takaba until the other had eaten all the food that had been brought to him because Asami knew that he could stomach it all and probably eat more if it was brought to him. The longer they stayed together though the more mystified Asami became over the matter of how exactly Takaba survived on his own with his current life style, for he doubted that the boy would honestly remember to eat on his own unless he got to the point where he was just about to collapse or where the ideas in his head had all been taken care of.

Asami knew about the existence of Takaba's friends, but he wasn't certain as to how much help they were exactly when it came to dealing with the mangaka in his moods. The other honest reason that Asami wouldn't state as to why he hated it when Takaba got into one of his moods was because he greatly disliked being ignored by the other, Asami was used to people paying attention to him when he asked questions or was staring at them, but with Takaba he could somehow manage to ignore the other without a problem when he was drawing, no matter how long it was that Asami would sit there staring at him, Asami of course had many different ways to get around this problem with Takaba though the other did protest about the fact that his drawing time was cut down greatly.

One of the ways that Asami knew he could really get to boy was by snatching the pad away from him.

"I'm looking through them to see exactly how good the quality is." Asami would tell him as he'd sit out of reach of Takaba's good arm on the bed as he scanned over what Takaba had been working on.

"I know that you're purposely doing that because you know that it pissed me off!" Takaba would seethe back as he'd sit in his chair glaring at the older man, knowing the other was smirking at him despite the fact that he couldn't see the other's face. Asami couldn't help but want to tease the other when he'd get so upset so easily, Takaba knew it very well too, the only problem was that he couldn't stop himself from taking the bait because he was already quite defenseless against the older man was it was so he had to have different ways to deal with the other.

For about four days things went on back and forth like this till Asami had to leave to get back to normal work course. Takaba was able to use his arm a little better then before so Asami didn't have to worry about him as much, thus that took away his main reason from not doing the work that needed to be taken care of. Takaba didn't really object all that much on the first day when Asami said that he'd be leaving to take care of some work and would probably be home near nightfall or there after. Takaba gave him a kind of strange look but just said 'okay' before going back to what he was currently working on.

There was one thing that Takaba wasn't certain if he should be pleased or bothered about, and that was the fact that he and Asami hadn't had sex since he'd come back, he had been rather certain that with him living with the older man that the other wouldn't leave him alone despite the fact that he was still injured, but surprisingly nothing of the sort had happened yet, and Takaba could still count on his fingers the different times that Asami had kissed him since he had begun to stay there, and the kisses weren't even as rough as the ones that Asami used to force him into.

Asami had designated Kirishima to take care of Takaba while he was away at work because he knew that he could trust the guard to handle Takaba well enough because the mangaka didn't seem to have much of a problem with this guard. Asami figured that this had something to do with the fact that Kirishima was very respectful of Takaba's wishes while at the same time making sure to fulfill what it was Asami wanted him to take care of. The only thing that the guard really had to worry that much about doing was making sure that Takaba was eating okay. Takaba was still weary of the guard but this was only due to the fact that it made the mangaka worry that Asami might actually think about assign one to him if he saw how well he did around Kirishima.

Takaba had also taken great note how exactly empty the house felt when Asami wasn't there, though he tried his hardest to ignore this fact by focusing on his drawing, it didn't always work the best and some of the time he'd end up stopping what he was doing and staring up at the ceiling for quite some time before seeming to draw the energy back up to start drawing again.

Asami had of course imposed another rule on Takaba and this one was probably the one that bothered him this most, and that was the fact that he wasn't allowed to go outside on his own no matter what. That was of course unless he had a guard or the older man with him, of course the only two that Asami trusted around the boy were Souh and Kirishima because those were the two that he trusted his life with the most.

Kirishima was at least someone that Takaba could talk with when he wasn't in the mood to do much else, even if he couldn't get that much information about Asami, the other could still talk to him about a lot of other interesting things. While with Souh the other was just hard to talk with because he always looked so stoic and Takaba didn't really feel that the blond guard was all that fond of him despite the fact that he hadn't caused any trouble for the other.

His trips walking around didn't even really take him that far, mostly it was just a few hundred feet around the condo because his arm was starting to heal and he found that the longer he was up on his feet the more it would hurt so he'd only manage to take short walks before having to take a break in order to deal with the pain. When Takaba decided to take these small trips with Asami when both guards were too busy to attend to him the older man tended to just sit somewhere nearby and watch the other as he wandered around or just stood looking at city, his mind seeming elsewhere. Despite the fact that Takaba had recovered greatly Asami was still well aware of the fact that other was still greatly affected by what had happened in Hong Kong, that much Takaba couldn't hide, of course Asami never brought this matter up with the other as he just let him be, knowing that if Takaba wanted to talk about it or had any major problems with it he was certain that the other would bring it up to him. Asami also knew for a fact that Takaba would curl up much like a cat when pressed too much about what was bothering him so Asami found that it was better to wait for the other to bring the problem up to him rather then pressing the matter.


	28. Chapter 28

So Takaba ended up staying with Asami for about a week before he was finally able to convince the other that he was kind of safe to move back into his apartment, as he was able to start using his left arm better then before, he still didn't have full range with it, but it no longer needed to be bandaged and he could use it for simple tasks such as holding his own paper while drawing and such.

Asami didn't agree to give him full freedom to stay back at his apartment permanently during the day though Asami said that it wouldn't be much of a problem if he wanted to stay there, just at night he had to return. Takaba was surprised though because he had honestly expected Asami to fight more over this matter. But despite the fact that Asami seemed rather possessive over him, he didn't seem to have a problem with him leaving.

The car drive was rather silent, as it tended to be whenever Asami took Takaba anywhere because he was beginning to be rather busy again with all sorts of phone calls. And seemed to always ignoring him for them. This didn't bother Takaba that much though because firstly Asami had been giving him quite a bit of attention recently and secondly because Asami was being Asami and that was something that Takaba could easily deal with. Asami being nice to him was something that made his skin craw because he was certain that at one point in time or another something was going to happen and Asami would expect payment for what he had done for Takaba while he was injured, though it had yet to happen yet far Takaba was still nervous about that.

Asami got off the phone at about the same time the limousine stopped in front of his apartment. Takaba was heavily pleased over the fact that he'd hadn't been gone long enough for his rent to need to be paid again otherwise he was certain that he'd end up being evicted.

Once outside of the limousine Takaba started walking towards his apartment with Asami following closely behind him, he stopped suddenly though when he heard familiars voices coming from the inside of his apartment, one of the voices that heard was one he knew shouldn't have been anywhere near his apartment. Forcing himself to move forward Takaba made his way to the front of the apartment and got ready to open the door, Asami standing almost directly behind him.

"Well speak of the devil, here's the happy couple now." Takaba froze again once inside the apartment at the sight of Feilong standing there with Kou and Takato on other side staring intently at him while Feilong looked thoroughly amused by the look that was on Takaba's face.

"Couple?" Takato questioned as he looked over at Takaba who had a horrified expression on his face.

"Is it true Aki?" Kou asked also looking over at his friend, though before he had a chance to reply Feilong was already answering the question for him.

"Your friend is probably a little too shy to admit the truth himself, but yes, they really are in a relationship, in fact that two of them just came back from any enjoyable trip in Hong Kong, you could almost say that it was a honey moon had the two of them been engaged."

"What?" Takaba exclaimed in disbelief at what Feilong was saying, there was no way in hell that he'd ever agree or admit to being in a relationship with Asami, he wasn't the worst person to be in a relationship with, but he was most certainly a little too much for the mangaka to handle. Takato was now staring at his friend intently waiting to see what the exact problem was with that Chinese man had just said. Takato couldn't deny the fact that Asami was most certainly suave and most possible could've been Takaba's type, but he also to a certain sense seemed kind of cold, and possible a little too distant for them to be in a relationship.

"It's a problem Takaba to admit to the fact that you're in a relationship with your boss?" Feilong questioned with a slight cock of his head, Takaba knew that he must've been blushing at this point.

"Boss?" Both of his friends exclaimed the question looking at Takaba in disbelief. Though he didn't say anything Asami raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of him, obviously amused by everything, but not really seem to be interested getting involved or helping to explain anything, though Takaba was trying useless argue the point that he and Asami were most certainly not in a relationship

"Asami don't you have anything that you can say about this?" Takaba asked, obviously at the desperate point as he grabbed a hold of Asami's sleeve to get the older man's attention. The smirk that passed over Asami's face when Takaba asked this question was more then enough of a sign that he wouldn't be getting any help from the older man.

"Are you really certain that you want me to explain the situation to them Aki?" Takaba's face dropped immensely at this point, not believing the fact that Asami just called him that.

Takato glanced between his friend and apparently lover, still not all that certain what to make of the situation in front of him, but his friend obviously had something different to say about the whole matter. Takato cleared his throat, mostly catching Asami's attention when he did this.

"Might it be possible for us to borrow our friend for a while so we can talk with him?" Takato politely asked Asami who stared at him for a few seconds before giving a response.

"I don't mind if you want to spend some time with, I would prefer if he was back before nightfall." Asami replied.

"Besides that we have some important talking to do." Feilong added.

Takaba groaned inwardly thanks to Takato because he really wasn't all that certain what to say about Asami, because they weren't really lovers, Asami had just forced himself onto the young mangaka though the other was unwilling to go through with everything.

Certainly Asami wasn't the worst possible person that Takaba could've ended up with, but in the boy's opinion he was pretty high up on the list of bad people to end up with.

"So Takaba behave yourself while you're out with your friends and I'll come by to pick you up this evening." Asami told Takaba with what appeared to be a smile on his face, though the other knew better then to think it was a smile, for he had come to learn what that look on his face meant. Right then and there Takaba really wished that he could yelled at the older and said 'you bastard! All of this is your fault, if you had just kept to yourself then I wouldn't have to be dealing with these problems!' of course Takaba knew that with his friends so close by that it wouldn't be such a good idea to have that kind of outburst, so he contained himself for the time being by simply gritting his teeth together as he watched Feilong and Asami leave. Takaba could be thankful over the fact that Feilong was at least a safe subject to talk about even if Asami wasn't.

"Akihito, you have a lot of explaining to do." Takaba cringed when Takato said his name like that because it meant Takato was serious about this whole thing, very serious.


	29. Chapter 29

Takaba knew as he and his friends sat inside of his apartment at the low table in his living with tea set before each of them that there was at least three things that he knew better then to talk about when I came to Asami and his love life.

The first thing that he just couldn't come out and say was "My boss and I really aren't in a relationship, he's just a domineering ass who's forced himself on me, raped me the first night and decided it'd be good for us to stay together." Takaba just knew that Takato would flip if he said that, Asami wouldn't be that pleased either because Takato would more then likely be getting in the older man's face over the matter and he doubted that even if Takato was his friend Asami would deal with him lightly if he caused trouble. Besides that something at the back of Takaba's head was telling that maybe the relationship between him and Asami wasn't all that one sides and maybe, just maybe he may have had a few small feelings for the other, though it'd take a lot of hell for him to actually openly admit, and probably a huge quantity of alcohol.

The second thing that Takaba just couldn't come out and say was "Did you know that this man who seems to think that he's my lover is actually a yakuza, and not only is fucking rich, but he also happens to own quite a few of the higher class building around the place, not to mention he does a lot of shady dealings. That's how things really got started between us in the first place, because I got myself into something that I shouldn't have." Takaba just knew that telling his friends that would go over so well, NOT. They'd' more then likely want to call the police on the older man and try to press charges on top of trying to protect Takaba, and the mangaka again knew that that wouldn't end so well because Asami seemed to have connections with the police too, not to mention the fact that the older man would have no problem 'dealing" with his friends if they decided to cause problems for him.

The third thing that he couldn't tell his friends he'd only say if he followed it up by saying it after he told them the other two things, and that was "You know that supposed honeymoon that I was taking with my boss in Hong Kong? It wasn't actually a honeymoon, I was kidnapped and brought there, was being held for some kind of ransom thanks to my bastard boss who decided I was his possession and it just happened that the head of the crime organization and him weren't on the current best terms so because my boss couldn't keep to himself I ended up becoming the most important piece to fight over, did I mention the fact that I got see a guy get shot no to mention the fact that I got hit in the shoulder too?" Things were just a fucking, fantastic living hell for Takaba that he knew he wouldn't be able to get out of any time soon, but at least he knew that he could hopefully get a chance to bitch Asami out for it later.

Takato had been watching all of the expressions that had been crossing over his friends face and it wasn't that hard to tell that something was really bothering him. He had good guess as to what exactly it was, but he wanted to hear it from his friend first.

"So spill it Aki, why didn't you tell us that you had a lover sooner, let alone tell us the fact that you're going out with your boss?" Takaba shifted uncomfortable in his chair when Takato asked this question, two pairs of eyes fixed heavily on him didn't make the matter much easier to talk about.

"I suppose that it was just because I really didn't know the best way to go about addressing the whole matter." Takaba replied, in the best way he could without really lying to his friends.

"But Aki you know that we wouldn't care that much if you were in a relationship with a man or a woman." Kou told his friend who smiled sheepishly in response to these words, he knew that very well, but that didn't really have anything to do with the reason why he didn't mention anything to his friends, in fact that was far from the reason why.

"So when did you two actually start going out, was it before or after he began treating you to lunch?" Takaba already knew that Takato would be asking the questions that he needed to be careful about answering because that was how his friend tended to be, Takato always tended to worry about him.

"About that time." Takaba replied, he figured that Takato would think that there was something suspicious about the fact that Takaba had hardly known his boss for that long before they started apparently going out.

"So was it like love at first sight?" Kou asked as he leaned forward in his chair, causing Takaba to blush with nervous embarrassment about the whole matter.

"I guess that you could call it that?" Takaba replied with a half chuckle because he really wasn't certain what to call it.

"Who started the relationship?" Takato then asked, Takaba actually had to think about this question when he was asked it, he knew that it was Asami's fault that he was where he was at the moment, but then again he still couldn't be one hundred percent certain that everything was one sided, because while he hadn't forced himself on Asami he didn't actually push him away with happened in the hospital.

"I suppose that he mostly came on to me first and then I guess that I just kinda followed after him." Takaba replied, all of the questions were starting to get uncomfortable for him, because it actually caused him to have to think about his feeling and about what was really going on.

"So you two haven't really been going out for that long then."

"Yep."

"And you two gotten that far yet, you know like?" Kou asked giving Takaba a very suggestive look, causing Takaba and Takato to glance at each other, Takaba wasn't certain how to answer that question, but he was certain that he must've been blushing by the way that his friends were looking at them, and that was more then likely a good enough answer for them.

The questioning and talking went on like this for about another hour before a honk was heard outside of the apartment and Takaba guessed that was more then likely Kirishima coming to pick him up.

Takaba said his good-bye's to his friends and was getting ready to leave when Takato grabbed his shoulder, stopping his progress.

"I'm glad that you've finally gotten yourself into a relationship Aki, just next time tell us when you think you've found someone that you like so we can better evaluate him." Takaba nodded his head with a smile. Kou just thankfully gave his friend a hug and a pat on the back, which is much better then, what Takaba had expected him to do.

Stepping outside Takaba released a long held in sigh, that had taken a lot more out of him then he had expected it to. Making his way over to the limousine Kirishima had already stepped in order to open the door for him, Takaba gave him a thankful nod of the head before getting inside.

There was silence for the first few minutes of the trip as they made their way back in the direction of the pent house before Takaba spoke.

"Hey, I should be safe to take a while coming back since I have you with me now right?" Takaba questioned Kirishima as he continued staring out the window at the passing scenery.

"I don't think that he'd like for you to be gone for much longer, but I don't think that he'd mind that much if you wanted to make a small stop." Kirishima replied glancing at the boy through the rear view mirror.

"Do you feel comfortable to take some time to go drinking with me?" Kirishima almost felt the urge to stop the limousine right then and there when Takaba asked this question but somehow managed to refrain from doing so.

"I think that as long as you or I don't end up drinking too much it shouldn't be a problem. Do you have a preferred place that you'd like to stop at?" Takaba shook his head in the negative at this question.

"Any place is fine by me." The mangaka replied.

Asami was trying to asses the situation in front of as best a he could, while he looked at one of his best men helping his boy to walk as they got ready to make their way into the pent house. Takaba was most certainly not injured in anyway by appearance, but if Asami had to make a guess as to what had happened he guessed that Takaba more then likely had gotten himself drunk. He guessed that by the look on Kirishima's face that the two of them must've been drinking together and that was what took the extra time in coming back.

Takaba obviously couldn't walk on his own not matter how hard he tried to so Asami took matters into his own hands and hosted the boy over his shoulder, the other surprisingly didn't struggle that much and all Asami earned from this action was a low mutter 'bastard' once Kirishima saw that the boy was well taken care of he bowed and excused himself from the situation as Asami watched him with careful eyes, he will definitely be interrogating the other as to what happened while the two were drinking because Kirishima seemed disturbed about something.

Takaba was currently laying on the bed in Asami's room with his hand covering his eyes as Asami changed from his casual clothing to his typical suit, getting ready to evening work.

"How did it go with your friends?" Asami questioned as he looked back at the mangaka, waiting for an answer from the other, though the boy didn't seem all that interested in giving him one. Once a few more seconds had passed and answer still hadn't been given Asami sat down on the bed near the boy, this didn't even stir a reaction from the boy who was still just lying there. "You know that if you're friends are being too troublesome for you to deal with, I can take care of them for you." These words seemed to cause Takaba to snap because he was suddenly sitting up.

"You bastard!" He snapped grabbing the closest thing at hand- the pillow that was underneath his head, as he proceeded to hit the other with, or at least as much as his strength would allow him to. "My friends aren't the problem here! You are, if you'd just kept to your fucking self then I wouldn't have to be dealing with this problem right now!" Mirth showed in Asami's eyes as he didn't even attempt or avoid the shower of hits that Takaba was pelting him with, as he waited for the other's energy to run out.

"But isn't it really your fault for tempting me?" Asami as he grabbed the other side of the pillow once Takaba's rant seemed to be over.

"What?" Takaba questioned, not understand what the other meant.

"Isn't it really your fault that both of us are where we are right now? I mean after all it was you who tempted me to take a hold of you and not let go." Asami replied, though it was obvious by the look on Takaba's face he didn't understand what the older man was talking about.

"I did nothing to tempt you." Came out the slurred reply as Asami leaned in towards him.

"You did more then you could ever imagine to tempt me." Asami replied as he kissed the other on the lips, the pillow not being much of a barrier between them as Takaba allowed Asami to lean him back against the bed as he responded the kiss and opened his mouth so that the other's tongue could invade. A light moan escaped Takaba's mouth into the kiss with the light skin contact coming from Asami's hands, in his drunken mind the simple contact was an almost sensory overload.

The kiss was broken only when Takaba needed air, but the hands didn't stop moving over the skin underneath the other's shirt, being ever so careful of the boy's injured left shoulder. Takaba's drunken mind was really having a hard time process what was going on but he didn't want anything to stop, that much he was certain of.

"Not too far tonight." Asami whispered in his ear as he licked the sensitive lobe, feeling as the boy was starting to try and undo the buttons on his shirt with unsteady hands. "You're still much to injured to enjoy this well enough." Asami told the boy who attempted to follow when the hands suddenly disappeared and the body tried to raise itself. Takaba stopped trying to raise himself up though when a hand began to run itself through his hair, causing the mangaka's eyes to become half lidded as he attempted not to fall asleep while watching Asami who was looking back at him just as intently. "Sleep." Was the last thing Takaba remembered Asami telling him before drifting into unconsciousness.


	30. Chapter 30

Another month and a half had passed by since Takaba's drunken incident and he was doing quite a bit better. His left arm was almost completely better besides some pains every now and again that were explained as the nerves reconnect themselves in his arm so that he could use it properly.

Somehow though despite the fact that he was completely able to take care of himself again, he was still spending quite a bit of time in Asami's pent house, despite the fact that he could've more then likely done just fine on his own in his apartment.

He did though somehow manage to spend quite a bit more time with his friends and ease up some of Takato's worries about Asami. Though Takato had only gotten the chance to see Asami on one other occasion because the older had gotten back to be really busy so even Takaba didn't see him anywhere near as much as he did when he was hurt.

Takaba and Kirishima had also managed to forge some kind of relationship, under the act of Takaba asking him to go drinking with him so often, Kirishima was very tolerant with Takaba, though he did try to get the other to refrain from drinking too much when they went out together, because he didn't really want to have to keep going to Asami to report what the newest problem with Takaba was because for some reason Takaba felt that Kirishima was someone safe to talk about all this problems to, which ended up being a problem for Kirishima though he never informed the mangaka of this, he just dealt with both sides as best as he could manage.

Things had kinda of gone back to the way that they used to be before the whole Hong Kong incident, or at least close there to. Takaba had managed to get out the next set of pages of his manga in time for it to be published in the magazine without any problems, even the following month wasn't very difficult though a few problems occurred that made it a little more difficult for it to get done.

Takaba was finding that somehow his manga was already quite popular and people wanted to get to know more about him. Not too many appointments were coming in for him, but enough to keep him kind of busy and having to go from here to there.

The only problem that came in with this matter was Asami; he insisted that he take the mangaka wherever it was that he needed to go. Takaba would've loved to think that Asami was doing this for him out of the kindness of his heart, but he knew that this wasn't the case. Asami wanted something in return for what he was doing for Takaba.

Usually this came in the form of Asami forcing himself down Takaba's throat, Takaba of course had to oblige to this, that or deal with the older man molesting him the entire car drive against his will or deal with him that night. Takaba hated taking Asami down his throat just simply because of his sheer size, Asami thankfully too forceful when it came to this matter and allowed him to take the time he needed to get used to the thing being in his mouth and down his throat before he tended to start moving his hips. Takaba tried to ignore the fact that whenever he did this for the older man that it turned him on a certain amount, not the fact that he was taking the other down his throat, but due to his smell, he wasn't exactly certain what it was about Asami's smell but for some reason it really turned him on, Asami seemed to notice this fact too, but seemed to decide to ignore it most of the time and not comment on the fact.

It just happened to be after one of these trips that Asami seemed to be acting a little different to Takaba, though the mangaka didn't ask the older man if something was wrong, he just tried his hardest to kind of keep out of the way of the other once they got back to the pent house. As far as Takaba knew Asami didn't tend to have any kind of mood swings, but there was something definitely going on with the other and it causing Takaba's skin to crawl. When Asami spoke to him he was rather surprised to hear the words that came out of the older man's mouth.

"You're safe to return to your apartment whenever you want to, I can have Kirishima drop you off."

"Eh?" Takaba questioned, clearly surprised and not expecting Asami to tell him this, the older man glanced back at him as he continued taking the tie off his suit. Once he had finished with this task and had put the thing one the coat rack he turned to fully face Takaba who still seemed rather confused over the whole current matter. "Understand though that my feelings are still open if you ever want to explore them further." This was all Asami told Takaba before the older man left the room leaving Takaba standing there stunned.

It took Takaba a total of three days after that point to leave Asami's pent house, all of his stuff had already been moved there ahead of time, courtesy of Kirishima and Souh. Of course hearing that Takaba had been fully moved back to his apartment both Kou and Takato came over, mainly because they were worried that Takaba and Asami might've gotten into and fight and also because they wanted to help their friend get all of his stuff unpacked.

It didn't take very long for everything to be unpacked with the help of his two friends, though towards the end the discovery of something caused the three of them to stop.

"Here catch this." Kou told Takaba who had hardly turned around before a small box with a red ribbon around it was tossed over to him.

"What is it?" Takaba asked, as he looked the box over uncertainly.

"Don't know, but I'm making one big guess that it's from your lover." Kou replied while he and Takato crowded around their friend.

Takaba carefully undid the ribbon around the box and opened it slowly, completely taken aback by two sliver rings with diamonds on them and a note that was sitting neatly at the front of the box.

"Those are for real." Takato whistled when he saw the diamonds on the rings, knowing for a fact that by the way they shone they were no fakes. Takaba ignored what his friend said as he carefully removed the card inside to see what it said.

'If you really want to explore this relationship in a deeper direction then return one of the rings to me by the end of a month's time, if you don't return it by that time then I'll understand that you don't want there to be anything between us.' Takaba had finished reading the note but he didn't really know what to do now. Asami was asking him to be in an actually relationship with him. Takaba was more then a little uncertain as how to exactly deal with the whole matter. It actually made his head spin to think about the whole matter.

"Well what're you going to do Aki?" Takato questioned as he read the note over his friends shoulder.

"I really don't know what I should." Takaba replied back as he continued to stare back at the note.

"Well if you really do love him then you should go for it." Kou told his friend, giving him a pat on the back, but that right there was the problem for Takaba, did he really have feelings for the older man, or was he feeling the way he did around Asami because the older man kept forcing himself on the boy.

"I think I'm going to need some time to think about." Takaba told his friends as he refolded the note and set it back down in the box before closing the box up.

Asami found himself in a very interesting position the day after Takaba had left. One of the boy's friends had asked to meet him, Asami didn't have a problem with this of course, and in fact it actually peaked his curiosity to know what Takato exactly wanted from him.

Takato was obviously nervous to find himself in such an expensive restaurant, as Asami motioned for him to take a seat, which Takato did with a slight incline of his head. The two didn't speak until after they'd order and the waiter had left them.

"So what honor do I owe this meeting to?" Asami questioned as he pulled his cigarettes out of his front suit pocket, offering one to Takato first who refused before lighting one for himself.

"I want to know what you think about Akihito." Takato replied as he leaned over the table some, fixing Asami with an expectant stare.

"Elaborate." Asami replied as he glanced at the people around them, not seeming to pay Takato or his concerns much heed.

"I want to know if you really have feelings for him, or if you're just dragging him along for the fun it all." Takato replied.

"And what does he say concerning his feelings?" Asami then asked, still not looking at Takato but rather the window that was just directly across from their table. Takato could easily feel the dangerous aura that was coming from Asami, but he decided not to let it bother him as he continued speaking.

"He hasn't said much besides the fact that he's going to need sometime to think about your proposal." Takato replied. "I want you to understand the fact that Aki's not been in a relationship before so he doesn't exactly know how to understand his feelings. I want you to take that into consideration no matter what decision Aki makes concerning your guy's relationship." This time Takato got Asami to look at him when he said this.

"I'll make sure to remember to take that into consideration." Asami replied, acknowledging the other with an incline of his head. The food was delivered to them shortly after and while they ate Takato asked Asami a few more questions which the other had no problem answering. By the time that everything was said and done between the two of them Takato was actually fairly pleased with Asami and didn't see Takaba as being in a bad relationship if the two of them did end up getting together.


	31. Chapter 31

Takaba had been thinking about the whole relationship thing between him and Asami for over a week and was hardly getting anything else done in his free time besides sitting around and sitting at the box with the rings in it. His drawing had also been suffering greatly from all of this, but much to his surprise Asami had yet to come and see about this matter and tell him to get back to work before he was late for his deadline.

Takato more then Kou had been coming over a lot during that time and trying to take with this friend about the whole matter, telling him that it was best not to let pressure force him to make a decision but rather to take as much time as he needed with the whole matter.

Takaba had a good idea of what he wanted to choose between the two options but at the same time making such a choice caused him to feel so unsteady and dizzy that it was almost suffocating. One week was a long time since the last time that he'd seen Asami and he wondered why the older man hadn't come to seek him out yet. Takaba knew that Asami could hardly stand a full day away from the other without some form of skin contact even if it was just a heated kiss between so Takaba wondered where the older man got the self control to stay away from the mangaka for so long.

Takaba soon found himself in a position with a fourth person listening to his problems, this person though was less help then good and didn't really seem that eager to help the poor boy make decision.

Said person happened to be Feilong who'd come yet again to pay another visit to Japan, Takaba sometimes wondered if the Chinese man was now just finding any excuse to come over and check on how things were going on between him and Asami. Feilong did seem heavily amused though over the fact that Asami was actually letting Takaba made the decision in the current matter, for Feilong knew that Asami was usually the one who decided anything, and he was certain that it was going to be the same with any relationship that the older man got himself into, because that was just the way Asami was.

"If you really don't what decision to make then just wait for a while and don't decide on anything, for I'm certain that if you do that Asami will have no problem making the decision for you." Was the advice that Feilong had given to the boy, and Takaba knew that this was more then likely true, but he knew that he'd feel too guilty if he made it so that Asami had to make a choice because was actually giving him so free will here and he wanted to so his appreciation to that by making his own decision. Takaba knew that he had at least three weeks left before the one-month time was up. It felt like such a short time to him though.

Takaba had tried his hardest to look at the two different vantages points coming from him being in a relationship with the older man to him now being a relationship with the older man.

He knew that if the two of them weren't a relationship that he'd still have to deal with seeing the older man almost everyday because of his work even if they didn't do anything together, he knew that he'd feel uncomfortable, but his work life would more then likely not suffer if his head and ass weren't always being filled by Asami, or so he guessed.

The good points of him being in a relationship was the fact that he knew that he'd be safe from anything and anyone, Asami didn't have to say anything to the boy for Takaba to understand that he'd be almost willing to protect him with his life, being in a relationship with the older man also meant that Takaba would have some kind of muse at any point in time that he might need one. What Asami didn't know about Takaba was the fact that the boy often used the things that happened around Asami to help his story go on. The only problem with being in a relationship with Asami came from the fact that he knew with the man's sex drive that he'd more then likely be in quite a bit of pain every day that he came to work, though the mangaka could be happy over the fact that his job required him to do a lot of sitting. So there were both good and bad things to being or not being in a relationship with the older man.

Another thing that was overly bothering Takaba was Takato, for a few days now Takato had been acting rather strange and when they talked about his relationship with Asami Takaba somehow felt that Takato was trying in subtle way to convince him that it would be a good idea to go out with the older man, why Takaba felt this way he wasn't certain, but he just knew that what he though was true though he didn't question Takato about the matter knowing that more then likely the other wouldn't tell him his exact reasoning for acting the way that he currently was.

Takato honestly did though want Asami and Takaba to get together, because he had the proof that Asami would be willing to do anything to protect Takaba.

The blond had insisted on meeting Asami again after their first meeting to get to know him better as Takato put it since Takaba was having such a hard time making a decision he wanted to be able to help his friend in this matter.

Takato knew that Asami seemed like a very distant person, but at the same time Takato could tell that Asami really did have feelings for the boy.

"You two need each other." Takato had stated after asking Asami another series of questions that could be taken either way, and the other was rather impressed with the way that Asami had answered them all without pausing when each one was asked to him.

"And what makes you say that?" Was Asami questioning in response to the boy's words.

"Because in some ways you to are so similar it's actually scary." Takato had replied, though Asami couldn't really see the similarity to himself and the mangaka, the blond boy's words caused a smile to appear on his face, even if it was only a small one.

"And I would enjoy hearing how exactly you've decided to come to this conclusion." Asami told the other. After this incident Takato had found that he actually got along with Asami quite well and that once he started to talk with the other he found him to less intimidating that his image made him out to be.

Takato just knew he was right though about the fact that Asami and his friend needed each other because they matched up so well. He had actually even told Asami that if possible he'd help pushing Takaba in the direction of choosing to go out with Asami though he knew that it would be a hard task to convince his friend of this he'd try his hardest.

"A relationship will help your work." Was the first method that Takato had tried with his friend, Takaba had just given him a strange look in response to his friends words. Takaba was certain that Takato really knew what Asami was like that he wouldn't have just said that.

"It'll make it suffer greatly." Takaba had simply replied back as he tried to focus on drawing on the paper in front of him.

"Won't it give you good material to help with your drawing though?" Takato tried to reason only earning himself a roll of the eyes from his friend.

"Most certainly not." Came the response of his friend with a tsk.

Takato had tried a few different ways to try and make Takaba choose the right decision and after about three days of pressuring him about the good points of the relationship Takaba seemed to be changing his mind some, but the mangaka believed in his mind that it was simply due to the fact that he was starting to miss the physical contact between him and the older man. There still hadn't been a meeting between the two of them and it was messing with Takaba more psychologically then he had honestly expected it to.

So when Takato started his usually routine following the fact that Takaba was starting himself to fell that it wouldn't be such a bad thing to be in a relationship with the older man, he'd start saying 'I don't know' more to Takato's reasoning.

Takaba could feel inside of himself though that it'd extremely dangerous to get into a relationship with Asami, the older man was the exact definition of danger and a certain part of Takaba worried that more incidents like the Hong Kong one would happen if he got himself into a relationship with Asami. Asami had rescued him and all, but if things hadn't turned out the way that they did Takaba was certain that one or the other of them would've ended up dead in that situation.

Two weeks had passed by before Takaba had become firm on his decision. He wasn't going to do; he just couldn't no matter how hard he tried to think both ways put himself in a relationship with Asami. So rather then waiting for the end of the month to pass Takaba decided that he was going to return the rings to Asami without hesitation before he changed his mind again.

"You're not going through with it?" Takato seemed rather surprised with his friend's decision.

"I don't think that I can really handle a relationship right now." Takaba had replied as he closed the box for the last time, knowing that if he looked a the note and rings one more time that the resolve that he'd built up would more then likely crumble again.

"Did you already tell him that you'd meeting him?" Takato questioned as he followed his friend into the kitchen where the other set the box down.

"Yep, and he told me that he'd seem me tomorrow." What Takaba didn't tell his friend was that he was going directly to the older man's penthouse to sort this whole issue out. Takaba was slightly nervous about that, but he was certain that Asami would stay considerate of his feelings hopefully and not force him into anything that he couldn't handle.

The following day Takato came earlier that morning to see his friend off, the meeting time had been set for ten that morning because that was when Asami had the most free time. Takato had been surprising Takaba by pacing back and forth in his apartment for quite a while Takaba sat in the living room near the front door, staying close to there because he wanted to have as few steps as possible towards him leaving the house and heading towards Asami's.

It was when there was less then half an hour left before Takaba would be leaving that Takato decided to go.

"Sorry Aki." He mumbled softly, surprising his friend when he ruffled his way before leaving through the front door before the other had a chance to ask him what he was apologizing for.

Once it was time Takaba had grabbed the box off the table in the living room near the door before leaving his house, not daring to look back inside the box again since he had already made his decision.

Takaba had told Asami not to send the limousine because he preferred to walk his way there knowing that it would give him a chance to think more about his decision though he was already certain that he had made the right one.

Takaba felt himself wanting to hesitate again once the pent house started coming into view. He had to go through with this though before anything else happened.

The trip up took only about five minutes and Takaba wasn't all that surprised to find the older man's door unlocked, letting him know that he was expected.

Upon entering the penthouse Takaba didn't spot Asami right away, but once he closed the door and stepped further in he found the older man sitting down in the living room with a glass of what looked like Whisky in front of him. Takaba approached him cautiously, feeling rather uncomfortable since it had been what felt like such a long time since the last time that he'd stood in front of the older man.

"You can take a seat if you want." Asami told Takaba, watching as the other stared at him.

"I would prefer to stay standing if it's all the same." Takaba replied, as Asami gave a small nod of his head in understanding.

After these words were spoke a heavy silence filled the room for about five minutes before Takaba decided to built up his resolve again as he spoke.

"I've made my decision."

"Have you?" Asami asked looking Takaba straight in the eyes as he waited for the other to tell him what it was. Takaba took a step forward.

"I'm giving it back." Takaba told Asami as he held out the box for the older man to take. Asami stared at the box for a short while before reaching his hand forward to take it. He didn't miss the way that Takaba flinched when Asami's hand almost touched his own.

Once Asami took the box he opened it up and confused Takaba by the smirk that soon appeared on his face.

"Am I supposed to take this as some kind of proposal?" Asami questioned, looking up at Takaba who was clearly confused.

"What're you talking about?" Takaba questioned, heavily confused by Asami's statement.

"There's only one ring in here." Asami told him, turning around the box to show the stunned mangaka.

"But I'm certain that they were both in there last time I checked." Takaba mumbled more to himself then Asami. Takaba tried his hardest to think about what could've happened to the other ring when something suddenly clicked inside of his head. _'Sorry Aki'_ it was then that Takaba had realize exactly what had happened.

Asami was watching the boy, clearly amused by his confusion about the whole situation.

"Let's just leave it be at fate making the decision." Asami told Takaba while standing up causing the other to take a quick step back.

"No way in hell." Takaba hissed back, "I know that there was foul play in this matter, and I also know that you wouldn't be say this crap about fate had this not happened." Takaba was going to give Takato some good what for when he saw the other next time, though he knew that after this Takato would probably be avoiding his friend for a bit.

"Now that's something that we may never know, now isn't it?" Takaba didn't resist that much when Asami approached him despite the dangerous aura that was surrounding and tilted his chin up with a gentle hand before forcing himself into kiss, as Takaba allowed for himself to be willingly swallowed up by the lust that was the older man currently standing in front of him, he already knew for a fact now that there was going to be no escape for him. Maybe it wasn't going to be such a bad thing to be in a relationship with the older man. "Now let's see how much your body can handle." Asami purred close to his ear, causing Takaba to moan lightly, not because of the anticipation of imaging Asami's warm heat in him, but rather out of concerning for the pain that his body would be in by the time that they were done. Takaba could tell right then and there though that nothing about their relationship would probably change in the near future.


	32. Chapter 32

It was getting close to new years and at least three months after Asami and Takaba had started their relationship and things were still strange between them. Most certainly Takaba wore the ring that Asami had given to him without much complaining though it did still feel odd on his finger and ever now and again he'd fidget with it by taking it off and putting it back on. Still not that certain as to how exactly Asami knew the size of his ring finger, but knew that the older man must've found a way some how or other.

By the time that Takaba actually got his chance to yell at Takato for what he did he really wasn't all that angry anymore with his friend though Takato still did compensate him by paying for a rather extravagant lunch for the two of them, though Takaba knew that by the time that he'd come back from it that Asami wasn't that pleased with how long he'd been gone.

Of course about two weeks after their relationship had been started up again Asami had forced Takaba to move in with him again though there wasn't that much complaining Takaba had in doing this, except for the fact that it gave Asami more room and time to touch him, which Takaba complained greatly against only for the fact that Asami tended to be rather rough with him on occasions not to mention the fact that the older always seemed to be in the mood to do it, no matter how Takaba felt about the matter, and one way or another he always somehow managed to get Takaba to give him what he wanted, even if it was only in the form of him getting sucked off.

Takaba's drawing didn't suffer from any of this thankfully, and in fact he seemed able to draw better now that he had certain things off his mind. Asami thankfully wasn't even that problematic when it came to him wanting to draw, except for the fact that the older man made him take frequent breaks if he found out that he'd been sitting there drawing for two hours without having done anything else.

Another thing that Asami had insisted upon was having Takaba keep a cell phone on himself at all times, thankfully though for Takaba he was able to fight hard enough with the older man so that he was able to use the money that he himself had earned in order to buy it. Takaba of course didn't worry about buying anything fancy; he just bought something that would suit his needs.

Of course now that Takaba had a cell phone, this meant that Asami needed to learn how to text, because Takaba simply refused to take calls because he said that they were too troublesome and wasted more money then texting, so if the older man wanted to talk with him he had to learn how to text. Asami found it highly amusing however that the one to teach him how to text rather then Takaba was Kirishima, who never ceased to amaze Asami with everything he knew. Of course it also made Asami wonder if Takaba and Kirishima possible talked back and forth through texting because of the type of relationship that his boy and Kirishima had made during the course of the many different times they'd gone drinking, so texting one another didn't seem that impossible to Asami.

Of course Asami was always a quick learner when it came to things like this so it didn't take that long before he was able to text with hardly any problems, he even seemed to surprise Takaba with how quickly he learned.

Asami and Takaba did have quite a few different fights through out their relationships on certain points, most of which Asami won, though there were a few that Takaba managed to stand firm about, yet despite all of the issues that they had with each other, or more the like the problems that Takaba had with Asami they somehow managed to make the relationship work.

Feilong had come to visit the two of them at least three times since the start of their relationship and always seemed to have something to say that usually caused Takaba to blush, or caused Asami to be irritated, but both the Yakuza and the mangaka knew that Feilong only came to check on them because he happened to worry about how their relationship was doing.

It was clear though that Asami became easily bothered when Feilong came over because the Chinese seemed to enjoy paying quite a bit of attention to Takaba and even managing to pull the mangaka's attention away from Asami who didn't like being ignored in the slightest, of course Takaba picked up on this point rather quickly and tried his hardest to keep himself away from those kind of situations that Feilong attracted all of his attention. So Takaba learned quickly that whenever he was talking with Feilong and not paying much attention to Asami that the cold chill that tended to go down his spine when he felt Asami staring at him usually meant that Takaba was giving too much time to Feilong and not enough to Asami.

Takaba was also pleased to find out on one of Feilong's visits that Yoh was now out of the hospital, though he wasn't able to accompany Feilong he was recovering well and there was now no more danger of anything possible happening to him. Takaba felt bad over what had happened to Yoh because in comparison to his own injury the one that Yoh had sustained was much worse, and more life threatening. Takaba had apologized countless times to Yoh before leaving to head back to Japan, but all the guard did in response to his words was tell him that what happened was in no way his own fault. This of course though didn't help Takaba to feel any better about the whole matter.

Takaba had also learned that it wasn't a good idea to try and provoke Asami in these certain matters, because they usually ended badly for the mangaka, so Takaba learned that pointedly ignoring Asami wasn't a good idea at all.

Asami had also made some progress with the boy in the form of the fact that he managed to get Takaba to wear a suit for more then five minutes for some of the meetings that they had to attend, not to say that Takaba really enjoyed wearing suits, but he put up with it when the time required for him to wear it.

Now that New Year's was approaching Takaba wanted to do something for Asami because the older man had already done so much for him. This was one of the points that Takaba was thankful for the fact that he could rely on Kirishima to help him with such matters without any suspicious from Asami to fall on the guard, because Kirishima was the one who tended to always be watching Takaba when Asami insisted that the mangaka had a guard with him.

An unexpected visit to Takaba's apartment from Feilong when Takaba was there talking about his plans to his friends turned out to be a rather good thing because Feilong offered his services to Takaba, because he also wanted to see Asami's amused face over the plan that Takaba had come up with. for apparently Asami didn't know about Feilong coming down to pay this visit.

The night before Takaba's plan was to be put into action he let Asami know that he was going to spend the night over at his apartment with his friends. Asami didn't object to this, and as Takaba had suspected he told the boy that he'd come and pick him up in the morning, of course Takaba didn't object to this, but said that he'd prefer if the other would come to pick him up towards the afternoon, there was a slight pause when he asked Asami this but the older man said this wouldn't be a problem.

Of course with everything that was going on Takaba was a little too nervous to get any actually sleep, but rather spent quite a bit of his time pacing back and forth, hoping that his plan would work and Asami wouldn't suspect anything. Takaba knew that the older man could be rather keen and everything had to be ever so carefully so that he wouldn't think anything strange was going on, because Asami had his ways of getting in formation out of Takaba when there was something that he really wanted to know.

The following afternoon though despite the amount of time that Takaba had to prepare himself he somehow managed to get himself running fifteen minutes behind schedule, this of course Takaba could blame on his friends for the fact that he'd been busy arguing with them on what type of outfit he should wear to meet Asami with. Because Takaba wanted to surprise the older man by wearing something different from what he usually did.

By the end of the discussion though Takaba decided to go with Takato's idea and put a suit on himself, it was uncomfortable and restricted his movement some but it caused him to look he was taking this whole matter seriously.

Takaba hardly had a chance to get dressed before he knew he had to leave his apartment if he did want Asami to get there and see the way that he looked.

Takaba cursed mentally as he glanced at the golden watch that was on his wrist, the golden watch that Asami had gotten for him less then a month ago. He had hardly anytime left before his reservation time had been set for. Now he was starting to regret the fact that he had decided to wear a suit, because it really did restrict his movement more then he had expected it to.

"Takaba-san." Takaba had to come to a rather quick stop when he heard the sound of Kirishima's voice and saw the limousine come to a quick stop right next to him as the door was opened for him to enter it. Takaba couldn't even express how grateful he was for Kirishima's good time, because without him Takaba was certain that he wouldn't make it in time.

Asami of course had decided to walk over to Takaba's apartment due to the fact that not only was the walk there rather short, but also due to the fact that Kirishima had said that there was something important the pervious night that would stop him from being able to drive Asami over to the apartment, Asami was suspicious of this but decided that he'd let things be for the time being as he'd more then likely know what exactly was going on by the time that he'd reached the boy's apartment the following afternoon.

Asami knew that his suspicions were correct when he saw the car that was parked right outside of Takaba's apartment. Looking at the vehicle only once Asami already knew whom exactly it belonged to.

The apartment door was already opened so Asami had no problems entering it. It came no surprise to Asami not to see Takaba anywhere inside but rather Feilong who was sitting elegantly on the coffee table with his legs crossed.

"Where is Takaba?" Asami questioned, watching Feilong's smirk widen when he asked this question.

"I'm sorry to inform you that I cannot give you his exact location, but rather I've been told that I can take you to his location in the form of your own person chauffer." Feilong replied as he stood up, liking the way that Asami's eyes narrowed when he was told this. "Do you accept my offer?" Feilong questioned as he approached Asami.

"Very well then, take me to where he is."

"As you command." Feilong replied with a bow of his head as he walked past Asami and opened the apartment door for the other, allowing him to step out so that he could do the same thing for the car door.

The drive a rather silent one despite the fact that Feilong had honestly expected Asami to ask him some questions about what exactly was going on, but Feilong figured that Asami must've known that he wasn't going to get any answers out of the Chinese man till they reached their destination.

Asami was rather surprised to see Feilong driving his way towards one of the most expensive and tallest hotels in Tokyo. Asami didn't question Feilong though because now he understood why exactly Takaba had been saving up his money recently, not to say that the mangaka spent a lot of money, but rather it was odd for him to not spend it on at least one or two things.

Once the car stopped Feilong stepped out to open the door for Asami.

"We have arrived." Feilong informed the other once Asami was out of the car. "Go up to the highest floor on the hotel and you'll find the prize that you've been looking for." Feilong informed Asami with a light bow before getting back into his car, smirking the entire as he watched Asami stare at the hotel for the first few minutes before heading towards the entrance.

Takaba was starting to get more nervous as the afternoon continued to pass by and it was getting close to the time that Asami should've been appearing. Takaba had already made sure three times over that he had everything set up correct so all that was left for him to do was sit at the table tapping his foot on the ground with his hands folded on his lap, hoping that the other would appear soon. The curtain covering the large window on the back wall Takaba had left shut for the time being even though it was starting to get dark as he had already lit two candles on the table to provide the light that they'd need.

Takaba jumped slightly when the hotel room door opened and Asami entered, taking everything he saw rather quickly before smirking at the boy.

"Classy." Asami commented as he approached the table, noticing how stiff the boy was looking. Seeing the food set on the table Asami already could tell that it was Takaba who'd prepared it he. Even though the boy had only started cooking for him a little more then a month ago Asami could easily distinguish his food by its look and smell.

"You accepted my invitation." Takaba acknowledged causing Asami to look at him with his piercing golden eyes, the look almost too much for Takaba to hold.

"Did you expect me not to?" Asami questioned as he took another step towards the table and the chair that had been pulled out for him.

"I honestly didn't know what to expect." Takaba replied, a light blush dusting his cheeks a he looked at his hand.

"I didn't expect something this extravagant from you though." Asami commented as he looked around the hotel room and at exactly it had been set up, not to mention how expensive it looked.

"I figured that it leaned more towards your tastes." Takaba replied as he shifted the food around so that they could get ready to eat.

"But something like this doesn't suit you at all." Takaba frowned at the smirk that was on Asami's face when he stated this.

"You should at least try to give me a little more credit for what I did." Takaba mumbled, as he got ready to eat.  
>"Then would you prefer that I gave you my own gift right now?" Asami questioned as he stood up slightly, causing Takaba to feel the need to back up though he kept himself seated. Takaba relaxed almost immediately when Asami pulled out the envelope from his pocket. Takaba held his hand out for the object but Asami kept it out of reach as he smirked at the boy, knowing already that the boy knew exactly what it was that he wanted. Takaba couldn't refrain from rolling his eyes as stood up, set his napkin back on the table and made his way over to Asami's side of the table. Sitting rather stiffly on the other's lap, knowing this is what Asami wanted from him.<p>

"Go ahead and take a look inside." Asami told Takaba as he rested his head on the other's shoulder while watching Takaba carefully took the envelope. Asami watched amused as Takaba's brow furrowed when he pulled out the two tickets that were placed neatly inside of the envelope.

"Hokkaido?" Takaba questioned as he looked at the tickets before turning his head to the side as much as he could to look at Asami. "Why Hokkaido?" He questioned.

"Why not Hokkaido?" Asami questioned back as he kissed the back of Takaba's neck gentle causing the other to squirm some.

"But it's the middle of winter and it's going to be really cold there." Takaba frowned, hearing Asami chuckle.

"It won't be that cold, because I'm certain that between the two of us we'll manage to find someway to keep warm." Asami replied as he nuzzled the other's hair.

"What exactly are you implying?" Takaba questioned as he tried to squirm out of the other's grasp, only to have him forcefully turned so that he was completely facing the Yakuza.

"I think that you know exactly what I'm implying." Asami replied as he forced the other's head down to give him a kiss on the lips, much more gentle then his usual ones. "Happy new year."

**A/N: I want to thank all of my faithful readers for continuing to read this story to the very end, I do apologize if there were any unsatisfactory parts. I know at least there were few parts I know I could do better. I also want to thank everyone for the kind reviews. I do hope every enjoy's this ending. And yes I'll admit the way that I ended it does allow for a little something extra if I feel up to doing it latter on. **


	33. Chapter 33

Takaba glanced to his left and then back to his right, refraining as much as he could from nervously pulling on his tie. His feet shifted in his chair once again as he scanned over the large crowd in the ballroom again, his eyes coming to rest on Asami who was standing and talking to another older looking gentleman a good distance away from Takaba. The older man looked good as ever in his three-piece suit, his business like charm shining as spoke. Takaba wasn't exactly why or how it was that he had somehow allowed Asami to convince him that it would be such a good idea to attend such a party. The party was mostly for him, and party for Asami because Asami was the editor that had helped to get Takaba published.

To Takaba it felt like some kind of engagement party though Asami had sworn that it was nothing of the sort, when the two of them had pretty much entered the room arm in arm, this being Asami's fault. Takaba didn't mind being so close to the older man in any other circumstance but when they started being crowed by a large group of people, Takaba felt more then a little nervous about the situation.

This was another one of those times though that Takaba was overly thrilled about the fact that Asami was actually ignoring him, because Asami ignoring him meant that other people ignored him as long as he stayed out of their way.

Takaba had of course fought against Asami rather harshly when it came to getting him dressed up and causing him to realize exactly what kind of party they were going to be attending, but by the time that all of that had happened it was already too late and there wasn't much he could do to convince Asami to change his mind about the whole matter.

Takaba was brought back to reality when he felt someone staring at him with a look that sent a chill down his spine. As soon as Takaba looked up to see who the person that was staring at him was, his hazel eyes locked with golden ones. Takaba didn't really like the look that Asami was giving, but at the same time he found himself not being able to look away from the other. To Takaba it felt as though Asami was looking straight through his clothing and examining every inch of his body, Takaba almost felt the need to cover himself with his arms, but somehow managed to avoid doing this.

His heavy instinct to bolt from the place hit him twice as hard once again as Asami started to slowly walk towards, in a manner that told him he'd end up being in quite a bit of danger if he actually allowed said older man to reach him. Of course his body didn't listen to the threat message that his brain was sending him and he ended up staying in his seat despite the approaching danger.

"Care to take this dance with me?" up until Asami had asked this question, Takaba wasn't even aware that light music had started to fill the room, but now that he had been complete brought back to reality he could hear the music clearly. Takaba stared at Asami extended hand for a few seconds before taking it, already aware of the fact that he had no right to refuse the other. Standing up he allowed Asami to lead him to the middle of the room.

"You seem rather stiff." Asami noted as Takaba put his hands on the other's shoulders, as Asami lead the two of them, making sure to start out slowly so Takaba could get into the feel of it.

"Who's fault do you think that is?" Takaba retorted back, focusing more on his feet as he glared then Asami's face so he didn't accidentally step on the other's feet.

"It's good for you to get this kind of experience, more events like this one will end up coming up as you become more famous, it's only good that you get the right amount of experience slowly." Asami replied back, taking Takaba through the first spin slowly, watching with a small smirk as the other had a hard time keeping his feet on track, obviously more then likely never having danced with anyone before.

"I don't need to get experience with kinds of things." Takaba replied back, taking a step away from Asami before allowing himself to be pulled back in, "I just need to learn how to avoid them so I don't have to deal with them."

"You seem to be rather good at avoiding things that you don't like dealing with." Asami commented, causing Takaba to glare at him as he looked up.

"And that comments supposed to mean?" Takaba questioned, stumbling slightly as Asami brought him in closer to his body.

"Don't you find that it's quite like what you do with our relationship?" Asami questioned, his eyes golden eyes looking directly into Takaba's hazel ones as Asami stepped away from him as he put hi through the second spin.

"That's different." Takaba replied, not making eye contact with Asami though he already knew the other was smirking.

"How so?" Asami questioned, beginning to move more fluidly once he was certain that Takaba could handle it without fumbling.

"Because you're involved and you're almost impossible to deal with." Takaba replied, hearing the small chuckle that came from Asami. Takaba somehow managed to keep his balance when Asami spun him again, not breaking the fluidity of his movement as he turned the mangaka around so that he was resting his head against the other's shoulder, their bodies pressed together.

"Impossible you say?" Takaba felt himself shiver as Asami's voice rumbled in his ear, amusement evident in his tone. "I think that that's not quite the case here. I think that you don' really know how to handle your feelings for me." Takaba didn't respond right away as Asami slid his left hand down to touch the ring that was positioned one other's ring finger, the one and only thing that showed that the mangaka and Asami were connected in another way besides business means.

"That's not true at all." Takaba replied back, his eyes once again focusing on his feet as Asami led him into another spin and back so that they were facing each other again.

"Then tell me my kawaii Akihito, what have you ever done to show your feelings for me without me being the one to initiate anything?" Takaba knew that there wasn't anything that he could say in response to this because the other was right, he hadn't. Certainly Takaba liked Asami as it were, he just didn't know how the other would handle his feelings. Yes, they were in a relationship, but one that didn't lead to commitment, not yet at least. Takaba may have begrudgingly gone as far as to say they were engaged. Lovers was the word that Takaba preferred to use, but he knew better then to say it around Takato because the other would nag him about it, stating that since it had been a while now that the two had been together for it was about time for the relationship to go the next level, but Takaba wasn't even certain how he was to go about addressing such a thing to Asami, for he was certain that if he mentioned one word about it that Asami would tease him mercilessly, like he did quite a few other things that he tried to bring up seriously to the older man. Takaba did however do a very good job of taking care of Asami even if the other wasn't at the house that often. Takaba took care of the house chores along the lines of, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the laundry, and he somehow managed to juggle all of this perfect and have more then enough time to either hang out with his friends or work on his manga without any troubles. Asami had never really thanked Takaba personally for what he did, but he knew that by the way the older man acted towards him that he did appreciate what he did.

"Not true you say? Then why don't you prove to me right here and now exactly how untrue what I say is?" Takaba glanced up at the older man, his face a slight nervous light pink color, show his affection in front of this large group of people? Most certainly none of them seemed focused on them at the moment, mainly focusing on those that they were either dancing with or talking to, but Takaba was still never that good when it came to a public display of emotions not the way that Asami was. Asami seemed more then a little amused with the matter, but at the same time he wasn't pushing it any further, more then likely noticing how uncomfortable Takaba was.

Takaba was surprised when the dance ended sooner then he had expected it to. A mixture of surprise and confusion went through him when Asami suddenly pulled away from him when they were finished, staring at his face for a few seconds before turning and walking away, not even saying anything like Takaba had expected him to. Asami's face still showed amusement when he turned away from the mangaka, but a certain side of Takaba couldn't help but wonder if Asami might have possible been slightly hurt by the fact that Takaba didn't do anything, was the older man expecting him to react differently then he did. Asami didn't seem like the type of person who's feeling easily got hurt, but due to the fact that the other had a mask that he could set into place anytime he wished to, Takaba still had a really hard time reading his older lover and knowing what was going on.

Guilt nagged Takaba as he made his way over to the drink table, picking up a glass of wine he drained it all at once, not caring about how high the alcohol content was or about the fact that he could get drunk off of it. His mind was too busy dwelling on Asami. Asami honestly hadn't really ever asked that much from him, in fact the older man hadn't really asked anything of him, even when they happened to have sex the older man never forced him past what he felt comfortable with, unless of course the mangaka was resisting him too much, but even then once Takaba gave in the yakuza immediately toned down the roughness. Takaba was allowed to live at Asami's apartment and the other didn't even have to do what he did every day, Takaba knew without a doubt that it wouldn't have bothered Asami all that much if he just focused on working on his manga and hanging out with his friends when the older man was busy at work, but Takaba felt indebted to the other so that's why he did what he did every day. Asami even paid for almost everything for him even if the mangaka objected it was a meaningless fight each and every time Takaba brought something up about it, most of the time Asami wouldn't even acknowledge him when he said something.

So was a public display of affection really too much for the other to give to Asami, it was just a kiss and Takaba knew that there wasn't any real problem with them kissing in public, other people did it all the time so why did it have to be such a problem for him?

Takaba stared at the drink table for a few seconds as he thought all of this over, grabbing another glass and draining that one. Takaba's mind was slowly starting to come back to him and get under control, his self control side was kicking in and making sure to keep him in check so that he didn't actually end up getting drunk at this party. Asami wouldn't say much about it but he knew that it would be trouble some for the older man if he ended up getting drunk, and Takaba didn't want to add more to his already guilty conscious so after his second glass he strayed away from the table in order to keep him from drinking any more.

Takaba reclaimed the seat that he had been sitting in before Asami had called him over to dance with him, he found himself subconscious scanning the room for his older lover. Asami filled the mangaka's mind more then he'd have liked to admit the other did. Takaba found himself thinking about the other at night when he wasn't able to get to sleep right away, during the day when the other was busy working and he didn't really have anything to do because his friends were busy or he couldn't focus on writing his manga.

Takaba also always took great care in the food he made, making sure that it was something that he knew Asami as going to enjoy eating, in other words he made something that was more upper-class then he was used to eating on his own. Takaba also paid close attention to other's schedule so that when Asami came home from work the food would still be warm for him to eat and if Takaba wasn't totally crashed he'd tried to stay up to have dinner with the other, so that way Asami wouldn't end up feeling lonely if he didn't like eating on his own.

Takaba didn't know if Asami ever did feel lonely if he came home and had to eat by himself because the mangaka was already asleep, but Takaba knew that he didn't like being alone for that long on his own, so it was more of fifty-fifty thing there but he'd never tell Asami that much.

Takaba sighed as his eyes locked on his lover, the man was busy conversing with an older couple, by the looks of the man Takaba presumed that his class was as high as Asami's, or at least that was what his attitude told Takaba, not to mention the watch that was resting on his wrist. His wife standing next to him was rather well dressed herself, wearing pricey designer clothing, a brand that Takaba would more then likely believe himself to never have the money to get or that he wouldn't even think about paying for if he did have the money. Takaba took note of the fact that the couple looked really good together, they fitted each other perfectly because they were making sure to make the other look good, obviously not wanting any bad media.

Takaba began to think about himself and Asami as he continued to look at the couple. Takaba hardly ever wore anything that was expensive or that rivaled what Asami wore, he most kept to casual inexpensive clothing because he couldn't ever convince himself to wear anything that cost a hundred dollars or over, he even felt uncomfortable wearing the suits that Asami got for him, he did though on these kinds of occasions because he didn't want the older man to look bad if people knew they were in a relationship, Takaba was more then certain that people would judge Asami based on the way that he looked and that was something that he didn't want to end up happening. Takaba knew that Asami worked hard to get to where he was at and Takaba didn't want to do anything that could end up ruining the other's image.

Takaba sighed once again, secretly wishing that was while he was taking Asami would at least take once glance in his direction since Takaba was paying such close attention to him and he was more then certain that the other knew he was being watched, Asami would always tell him that he had no problem feeling the mangaka's eyes watching him even if Takaba didn't want to admit to the fact that he was indeed watching the older man. So it was obvious to Takaba that the must've been purposely ignoring him. This didn't bode that well with Takaba either and actually caused him to feel slightly irritated, because Asami was more then likely playing at one of his games and was expecting the other to get upset about it and do something rash, even if they did happen to be in public. Of course Takaba wasn't going to allow this to happen but that meant of course that he was going to have to stand his ground with the other till he made Asami look at him. Takaba was of course wasn't so low as to go to the point of flirting with someone else to get Asami's attention, he knew that that would just end way too badly, the older man would act upset about the matter, angry as it were and more then likely he'd end up being rough in bed with the other, but Takaba knew for a fact that even if Asami acted angry over the matter he'd more then likely be hurt over the fact that Takaba was attempting to flirt with someone else that wasn't him. Asami was very possessive over Takaba and the mangaka was finally starting to learn to deal with that problem and respect the boundaries that Asami put around him, thinking more that his older lover was trying to protect him rather then monopolize him, which was of course exactly what Asami was attempting to do.

Takaba was honesty only able to last for about ten minutes before it became too much for him once again and he felt himself needing to be noticed by Asami, of course Takaba already knew for a fact that getting Asami's attention was going to be a bitch to do, because when Asami really wanted to ignore him the older man could do such a good job of it, making Takaba feel pathetic whenever he attempted to do the same thing because Asami would just play the same game on him and it would end up causing Takaba to feel flustered because it did nothing against the older man.

Getting up from his seat Takaba was prepared to make his way over to Asami, regardless of how bothered he felt he was going to do something for the older man, something that would more then likely surprise the other if he could handle the situation properly. He'd just have ignore the fact that there were so many other people in the room and just focus on Asami, making him the center of his world and ignore everyone else and he did what he felt that he needed to, what he knew that Asami wanted him to do.

Takaba was rather slowly in approaching Asami as it he found it rather difficult to make his way through the sea of people who weren't all that considerate when it came to moving to the side for him even when he did say 'excuse me', obviously feeling that he was much too low class to deserve a single shred of the attention, this of course hurt Takaba's pride because he was doing a good job of making an imagine of himself, even if he didn't happen to be all that rich, he was still getting a good name built up. Asami had even praised him on this fact, even if it was just a few simple words from the older man, they meant a lot to Takaba, more so then if anyone else had told him that much. Takaba sighed once again as he shook his head, now being not that far away from Asami he felt the knot in his stomach growing rather tight, but that didn't stop him from moving closer to the other who was just finishing talking with another older man, Takaba guessed a business partner with the way that Asami was treating him.

Takaba paused for a short while standing not that faraway from Asami, waiting till he was totally done with other man to get his lover's attention. Takaba was rather surprised over the fact that he didn't actually have to do anything to gain Asami's attention because the other suddenly turned to look at him, his face blank as he stared at the other, more then likely trying to figure out what exactly it was that Takaba wanted from him. Takaba shifted from foot to foot nervously as he stood in front of Asami, knowing exactly what he wanted to do but now feeling almost too nervous to do it. Asami's face mightn't have given anything away but his eyes showed that he was intrigued to know what exactly it was that Takaba was planning on doing.

Taking in rather deep breath Takaba took another step towards Asami, not all that surprised when the other didn't move, a sign that he was going to wait and see what exactly it was that Takaba wanted to. Since the mangaka had taken one step he went ahead and took another, they may have been small steps, but he was still moving himself closer to Asami with each step he took.

It wasn't too much, it wasn't too much, and that is what Takaba kept telling himself over and over again in his mind. It wasn't too much to do something that Asami would have no problem doing for the other.

Takaba became rather aware of their height difference, once he was actually standing in front of Asami, the other's expression mightn't have changed but his head was cocked slightly to the side as he looked down at Takaba, still waiting to see what it was that the other was going to do. Takaba found himself shifting from foot to foot as he stared at Asami trying to figure out how he should set himself up to go about the whole matter, kissing Asami was easy, but how he should do it was the hard part. Takaba didn't really think about himself as a good kisser, at least when it came to comparing himself to Asami who always managed to take his breath away without even trying.

Steeling himself and without thinking much more about the matter Takaba leaned up and quickly captured the other's lips, shutting his eyes once their lips had met in order to drown out everyone else except for Asami, the person he was trying to please. Takaba was bothered at first when he deepened the kiss slightly and Asami didn't really react that much too him, Takaba found that it was rather hard to lean up to meet the other's lip and that it was much easier when Asami bent down just that small amount to make up the difference between the two of them. Takaba was starting to wonder if he had guessed wrong about what Asami had wanted and was about to pull away. A hand suddenly reached around the back of his head, mere seconds after the connection of their lips had been broken. Takaba made a sound of surprise when Asami suddenly crashed his lips hard against the other's, not allowing any room for protest as he forced the other's mouth open in order for his tongue to invade even if Takaba didn't want for this to happen.

The kiss that Asami gave to the mangaka did allow for him to block out everyone else in the room. Takaba allowed for a small moan to slip past his lips when Asami's tongue rubbed against his own, the feeling almost overwhelming.

Another sound of enjoyment left Takaba's mouth as Asami carefully carded a hand through his hair, a very enjoyable feeling to Takaba, something that Asami was expert a doing and something that almost caused Takaba to become completely compliant with whatever it was the older man wanted him to do. Takaba was still overly jealous over the fact that Asami managed to always make his head spin when the kissed, if Takaba did that to Asami when he kissed the other then Asami just did a really good job of hiding this, but somehow Takaba doubted that this was the case.

The kiss was so entrancing to Takaba that he did somehow manage to complete forget about the other people that were in the room, not hearing the gasping or the whispering they were doing about the sight in front of them. The only thing that was on Takaba's mind was Asami and what his lips were doing to his own, that was all that mattered to Takaba.

Or at least until the point that the kiss was broken and their eyes locked, Takaba showing how out of breath he was while Asami somehow managed to be as composed as he always was, so if Takaba didn't know the older man that well he wouldn't have noticed the slight change in the other's breath. Takaba was soon brought back to reality though when the sound of clapping hands made its way to his ears and it was right then and there that Takaba remember the fact that he and Asami weren't the only two in the room. Takaba didn't look away from Asami but he felt a deep blush spreading across his cheeks as he realized what he had just done without thinking that much about the whole matter. Asami didn't make matters much better when he smirked at the other, obviously enjoying his embarrassment. Takaba wanted to pout but refrained from doing so and even took Asami's hand when he offered it to the other, knowing or at least hoping that Asami was going to lead him away from the crowd so that he didn't have to deal with the embarrassing situation anymore.

Many people tried to congratulate or talk to them and most Asami just gave a small nod of his head to as he made his way through the crowd, keeping a tight grip on Takaba's hand so that he didn't lose the other in the people, Takaba was still blushing darkly and even more so by the looks that people were now giving them, things hadn't exactly gone as he had planed them to, but at least Asami was being considerate to him for the time being.

Kirishima was waiting outside in the limousine for them and the moment he noticed the two he got out of the car right away to open the doors for them. Takaba's pace would've slowed down at this point if it wasn't for the fact that Asami still had a rather tight grip on his hand so he was forced to match the other's pace, even when things started to sink in to him, such as the fact that maybe what had happened inside was something that Asami might've been planning to have happen from the beginning and once again Takaba had just managed to fall into the other's trap. Takaba didn't dare ask though because he was fairly certain of the fact that Asami wouldn't even tell him if he was right in his presumption, even if he did happen to be.

Takaba slide into the limousine first, shifting to the farthest corner from Asami's seat, a habit that he still kept up in order to make sure that Asami didn't end up trying to take advantage of him on their way back to the condo, for every now and again Asami had tried to bother him, though most of the time there wasn't really all that much Takaba could do to get away from the other and he found that things weren't all that bad if he gave in sooner rather then continuing to try and fight against what the other wanted to do to him.

As the limousine started up Takaba was starting to think that Asami was actually going to leave him alone this time, of course that hope was rather short lived when the other suddenly shifted towards him, a little quicker then Takaba would've liked for him to have done so, Takaba of course tried to push himself further back into corner or at least put as much extra distance as he could between himself and Asami, he wasn't all that eager to let the other bother him just yet. Takaba shut his eyes as Asami suddenly leaned over him, breathing directly against his ear and causing heat to start pooling around the other' groin as he could only imagine what it was Asami was planning doing to him, what happened next though wasn't exactly what Takaba was expect, especially when it as Asami talking rather then acting.

"Ready for our honeymoon?"


End file.
